


For The Love of a Child

by kaila_kaycee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Smut, Family Feels, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:53:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3414854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaila_kaycee/pseuds/kaila_kaycee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Twisting fate to make believe it's all accidental.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a while and I'm finally confident enough to post it. Little Scorpius always wins my heart in stories so I decided to write my own with him in it. It's mild angsty stuff with a lot of cuteness and some detailed sex scenes later on ;) FAIR WARNING: there is some mild Ginny bashing in the story and she's not the nicest character ((I personally love her but it had to be done to fit the theme of the story)) but she will ((probably)) come around.  
> This work is canon up to but excludes the epilogue.  
> I would love some feedback, it would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading xo

To say that Harry was having a bad day would be putting it lightly. It'd been a gruelling 12 hour shift, and the last case had taken its toll on him. Being a healer wasn't easy. Especially being a healer who specialized in dark curses. The last case of the day had been a small child who'd gotten in the way of an ancient dark curse. The curse itself had been, thankfully, easily enough to reverse, but the child was tramautised, refusing to speak to anyone and jumping at every sound. There was a good chance that he was going to end up in therapy. The father was awaiting trial - though the outcome was already pretty clear. The mother was also in St.Mungos, at least for the night. She was suffering from intense shock.

It wasn't that it was the worse curse he'd ever seen. No, there have been worse, way worse. Curses that he couldn't even reverse, curses that he couldn't even heal. Some of the curses killed instantly - and some of them killed slowly, so slowly that the Healers wished with all of their might that they could put their patients out of their misery. Those cases bothered him, yes. But ones involving children were always the ones that left his bones aching with a kind of fatigue that no amount of sleep could cure.

It was too personal, he thought darkly. That was why it got to him. He poured himself a small tumbler of Firewhiskey and gulped it down before inspecting the contents of the fridge. Nothing. What a surprise. He barely had time to eat these days, let alone buy anything to eat. He sighed, weighing the options: venture out of his flat into Diagon Alley and find a nice restaurant, and end up in the papers for the third time in a week, or apparate to a Muggle area and actually do some shopping.

He had all but settled on the second option when he heard the Floo roar to life in the adjacent room. He frowned, instantly on guard. It was barely 5 in the evening, but it wasn't like his friends to stop by without some kind of warning.

He walked cautiously into the room. A small child, 4 or 5 years old at the most, was dressed in pyjamas and clutching a small battered teddy bear. He turned wide grey eyes towards Harry the second he saw him and then made a small 'O' of surprise and jumped behind the green sofa.

Harry dropped to his knees and crawled around the couch. The little blond was holding his teddy bear in front of his face and shaking slightly. There was something familiar about the little small blond face.

"It's okay," Harry said in his softest Healer's voice. "I won't hurt you, come here."

The little boy shook his head. "I'm not 'pposed to be here." Tears trailed down his pale cheeks.

"Where were you trying to go?"

"I wanted to see my daddy," he hiccuped. "He works at a a-potter-y."

A-potter-y? What the - "Do you mean an apothecary?"

"He makes potions and stuff," he nodded. "In a a-potter-y."

Harry nodded to himself. It made sense. The little boy's mispronunciation of apothecary had confused the Floo network and it had dropped him in the place that was the closest - Potter flat. Even the Floo network had its flaws. Poor kid, he mused. No wonder he was so frightened.

Harry approached him slowly, and he let him. He reached him and put a hand on his small shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Sc-scorpius," the little boy stuttered. "Scorpius M-Malfoy."

Malfoy?! That's why the boy looked familiar. He had the Malfoy eyes and the Malfoy hair. But he didn't seem to have the Malfoy arrogant attitude - then again, he was a little young. He doubted it was something they were born with - it was obviously taught to them, and no doubt Draco Malfoy would follow in his father's footsteps soon enough.

He held out his arms to Scorpius. "Come here, Scorpius. I'm going to bring you to your daddy."

He looked at Harry with fearful eyes. "Daddy says I shouldn't trust anyone I don't know."

"And that's a very important thing to remember. But I went to school with your daddy. His name is Draco, and he was in my year. My name is Harry."

"Harry," he said thoughtfully. "Daddy's mentioned a Harry before. I guess it's okay."

"Just sit here for a minute. I need to use the Floo to make a call, and then we can go. Do you want a drink or a snack?"

He shook his head and hugged his teddy closer, perching on the edge of the sofa.

Harry grabbed a handful of Floo powder. "Hermione Granger's office."

It took barely a minute, and Hermione's office swam into view. It was a good thing Harry knew she always worked late - it was after 5, and most people were gone by now.

"Hey, Harry," she said, surprised. "What can I do for you?"

"'Mione, do you know where Malfoy works?"

"Malfoy?" she raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Sure. He works at an apothecary, 1987 Diagon Alley. But why do you want to know that? Please don't tell me you think hes up to something again - the war's long over and -"

"His son accidentally Flooed himself to my flat."

"Wh-what? Oh, the poor child. He's young, isn't he? Same age as Rose, I think. How on earth did he manage that?"

"I don't know," Harry said, shaking his head. "He said that he was trying to get to the apothecary and he pronounced it in such a way that it understood Potter. Not sure why he was alone near a Floo, though."

He could tell that Hermione was enraged by the idea of a young child being left unsupervised - she had two of her own, after all, so he said a hasty goodbye and turned back into the room. 

"Am I in trouble?" Scorpius hiccuped, looking fearful.

Harry wondered how often Malfoy punished the child, and how. He could feel his chest slowly tightening, but quickly reassured the child.

"I'm sure your mommy and daddy are just very worried about you," he said slowly. "It was an accident, and accidents happen." 

The child nodded, his grey eyes still watery.

"I'm going to change your pyjamas into warm clothes, okay? It's cold outside." He cast a quick spell and the child was dressed in a warm green coat, black trousers, and winter boots with a little black hat covering his blond hair. He held out his hand. "Come on."

They left his flat and walked down Diagon Alley. The address 'Mione had given him was about a fifteen minute walk. Harry held his head high and ignored any looked aimed his way, and strode purposefully down the road.

"Do your daddy and mommy leave you at home alone a lot?"

Scorpius shook his head sadly. "It's just me and Daddy. Mommy moved away last year. Daddy usually takes me to school but today I was sick so he left me with Twinkle - that's our house elf. And she was running me a bath and I snuck into Daddy's office - that's where the Floo is - and now I'm here with you."

The little boy stopped walking, breathing quickly. It was more than he'd said so far, and Harry frowned over several things he'd said. None of it made sense. He hadn't know Malfoy was divorced -he hadn't even really known he had a child - and he assumed that would have been public knowledge. Then again, he hadn't known either that he'd been working in an apothecary. Harry had assumed he'd have taken the Malfoy fortune and made a life of leisure. 

"Why didn't your daddy stay home with you?"

"He wanted to, but he's working on a 'portant potion for the dogmen and Twinkle told him to go -"

"Dogmen?"

Scorpius hung his head, looking abashed. "They're called werewolves - but Daddy thinks I'm too young to know 'bout them so I call them dogmen and pretend I didn't hear what he was saying that day."

Harry decided it was best to stop asking questions when the answers confused him even more than knowing nothing did.

After a few more minutes of silence, they reached Malfoy's little shop. The sign was flipped to closed, but Harry unlocked the door with a flick of his wand and walked in, the little bells jingling merrily.

It took not even a minute before a harried Malfoy rushed to the front. He was sweaty, and dressed in Muggle clothes, which were splattered with an array of colours.

"I must have forgotten to flip the sign, but we're closed -"

He stopped midsentence as he saw Harry standing there. Their eyes met, and Harry's insides jumped a little at seeing his ex-nemesis for the first time in years.

"Potter?!"

Before Harry had a chance to reply, Scorpius ran around from behind his legs. 

"Daddy!"

Malfoy dropped to his knees instantly and hugged his crying child. "Scorp?! What are you doing with Potter?"

"I'm s-s-sorry, D-d-daddy. I didn't f-f-feel good, and I wanted to s-s-see you so I used the Fl-floo and ended up at H-Harry's h-house. Don't be m-mad."

Malfoy looked at his child with huge worried grey eyes. "Merlin, Scorpius, you could have ended up anywhere! I am angry, but I'm glad you're okay. We're going to have to have a long talk about this when we go home."

Scorpius looked down and refused to meet his father's gaze, but there was no signs of fear in his body language, or his face. 

Harry cleared his throat.

Malfoy looked at him, and got back to his feet. He thrust his hands into his pockets and looked uncertain.

"Thank you, Potter, for bringing my son home safe. I'm ... glad he ended up with someone who wouldn't harm him."

Harry's stomach churned at the thought of someone harming the small blond Malfoy counterpart. So Malfoy must still have enemies. He and his mother had gotten completely pardoned (thanks to his testimony) but apparently that didn't change the fact that he'd wronged a lot of people. He hadn't come back to Hogwarts for "8th" year like everyone else did. But not long into 8th year, there had been an article in the paper saying that Lucius Malfoy had died in Azkaban and left everything to his only son. That's why Harry had assumed that Malfoy had just decided to run Malfoy Manor the way his father had and was more than surprised to see him working in a modest shop like this one.

"You're welcome, Malfoy. I hope you two have a nice long talk about this and that it doesn't happen again. And you, Scorpius, be careful, okay?"

Harry turned and walked out of the shop, ready to leave all Malfoys in his past, where they belonged.


	2. Don't rush into things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two. The first chapter is just an introduction to set the tone, so I decided to post the second chapter too so it starts to give more of a feel to the story and the characters.   
> Feedback would be great! :)

Merely a week later, he found himself face to face with a crying Scorpius Malfoy for the second time.

He'd been wandering the aisles of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, looking for some cute but remotely harmless things to buy for the children stuck spending Christmas in St.Mungos. He'd bent down to look at the newest versions of Pygmy Puffs when something small and blond barrelled into his legs.

He looked into the familiar grey eyes and sighed.

"Please don't tell me you're out on your own again, Scorpius."

"No," he said darkly, "but I wish I was. Daddy's mean."

Malfoy, mean. What a surprise. He held back his laughter at the sight of Scorpius's unhappy face. He reminded Harry a lot of Malfoy when he met him in first year, pouting and so sure that the world belonged to him. 11 year old Malfoy's attitude had bothered him, but the same attitude in his son was almost charming. He had quite the character, now that he wasn't a trembling mess in Harry's living room.

The older Malfoy came flying around the corner. His hair was messy and his robes were a little too big for him, and Harry bit back a rude comment. It was strange but somehow exhilarating, seeing the perfect Draco Malfoy, well, not so perfect.

"Scorp! What have I told you about running away from me in stores?"

The smaller Malfoy crossed his arms petulantly. "And have I told you about wanting a dragon?"

"Not again, Scorpius," Malfoy said, his voice low and even but a warning tone nonetheless.

"I bet Harry would buy me a dragon, wouldn't you, Harry?" he said, turning to the dark haired man. He then quickly explained, "I mean the toy ones they have in front of the shop that breathe fake fire and smell like peppermints."

Harry held his hands up, grinning in Malfoy's general direction. "Not getting involved," he said. "Maybe you'll get one for Christmas."

Scorpius considered that. "Maybe. But if I don't get one for Christmas, I'm going to ask for one every single day until I get one," he said, glaring at his father. "I WANT one."

This time, Harry couldn't help but laugh, and the older blond narrowed his eyes at him.

Scorpius looked at the toys in Harry's hands. "Are you getting toys for your kids? Did you know that we call Christmas 'Yuletide' because we're Purebloods but Daddy told me that halfbloods and Muggleborns call it Christmas and that I could call it Christmas if I wanted to?"

Harry glanced at Malfoy, who's cheeks were slightly pink, before answering. "I don't have any kids," he said softly and sadly. "But I'm buying toys for kids who are stuck in the hospital over Christmas. It will make them feel better."

"That's sad," he said, his eyes dropping. "I have a lot of toys, maybe I could give them a few of mine and come with you and play with them?"

Harry's heart swelled at the generosity of this little boy in front of him. Malfoy apparently was raising him the right way - and Harry couldn't help but respect him just a little bit more.

"You better ask your daddy first," he said, and the small blond turned his big eyes towards him.

Malfoy looked at Harry, at Scorpius, and then back at Harry. "Scorp, why don't you go look at those trick Potions kits? Maybe Teddy would like one for Christmas. I'd like to talk to Po-Harry for a minute."

Scorpius scrunched up his face. "Yuck, grown up talk. I'll be right there, Daddy, I promise."

He scampered off and they both watched him for a second before Malfoy cleared his throat awkwardly.

"You see Teddy?" Harry asked. He hadn't known that.

Malfoy shook his head. "Um, no. Andromeda doesn't want me to see Teddy. But she lets Scorpius go over once in a while and I send him presents every year."

"Oh." Harry wanted a further explanation, but didn't think Malfoy would open up more on the subject. "So, about me bringing Scorpius to St.Mungo's with me?"

Malfoy looked uncomfortable and Harry sighed. "Look, Malfoy, I know it might be beneath you but -"

The other man glared at him and cut him off. "That's not it, Potter. I just want to make sure there's no risks for him. One, he has a fragile health, and two, well, I still have a lot of enemies and ..." he trailed off, running a hand through his messy blond hair.

"I work in the Dark Curses ward," Harry said softly. "So there's no danger in him catching anything there. We can Floo straight into my office and go see the children on the ward from there. I won't take him to see any of the badly damaged children, it's not something anyone should have to see. But there are a few on the road to recovery who would love a visitor. And do you really think anything would happen to him while he's with me?"

"That's right," Malfoy said, "I forget sometimes that you're the Saviour of the Wizarding World." It was said surprisingly without any bitterness, and he looked at Harry calculatingly as he said it.

"These days, I'm just Healer Potter." Harry corrected, and he nodded slowly.

"Why are you taking such an interest in Scorpius, Potter? You don't like me, and there's no reason for you to get involved with my son."

Harry looked at the ground as he debated what to tell him. Finally, he decided on the truth. "I can't have children," he said softly. "Ginny and I conceived once - and she lost him. He would have been the same age as Scorpius. We did some tests after - and then she left me."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and when Harry looked up, Malfoy was looking at him with compassion written all over his features. 

"I'm so sorry, Potter. No one deserves that." He sounded genuinely upset, and he gazed at Scorpius with love in his eyes.

Harry inclined his head in acknowledgement. "So, um, I'm going to deliver the toys this Friday, around one. Does that work for you?" 

"Scorpius has school until noon on Fridays," he said, his voice turning more formal and businesslike, more like the Malfoy he'd always known. "I could pick him up and bring him to St.Mungos, if you wish?"

"You can Floo straight into my office - I'll leave it unblocked."

"All right." He held out a hand to Harry. "Until next time, Potter."

Harry shook his hand quickly, and bid Scorpius a fond farewell as he headed to the storage room in the back. George was testing a new product, but looked up as he came in, his face cheery and splattered with purple dots.

"Oh hey, Harry! Nice to see you, mate!"

Harry flopped down on the chair. "George, how much do you know about Draco Malfoy?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy? Why?"

"Well, I just ran into him in the store and -"

"He wasn't causing any trouble, was he?"

"No! I think he was Christmas shopping for Scorpius -"

George cut him off again. "Yeah, they come in here about once a month or so. Cute kid. Well behaved, except for the last two times, he's dead set on having one of the dragons in the front. Malfoy seems to be raising him decently, I'll give him credit for that."

Hmmm, interesting.

"I'm taking Scorpius with me Friday to hand out the Christmas presents to the kids on my ward," Harry said, and George's red eyebrows raised. 

He quickly explained the Floo story, including what Scorpius had said about his mommy living in France and Malfoy's apparent work on the cure for lycanthropy and telling him everything else he knew so far about Malfoy. "That's why I wanted to know if you knew anything else," he finished. "He seems like a pretty private person these days."

"I can't really help you, mate," George said. "He keeps to himself these days. Can't blame him, honestly."

Harry nodded. "S'okay. Scorp's a cute kid and I doubt Malfoy hates me these days. I don't expect him to be my best friend - I can do civil if he can do civil."

He slipped on his dark outer robes and headed to the door.

"Hey, Harry?"

He half turned. "Yeah?"

"Scorpius is cute, but don't get too attached, mate. It's not healthy."

Harry brushed off his warning with a quick smile and slipped out into the street.


	3. Maybe just a touch of a hand.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and the interest in this story, it warms my heart <3  
> I update once a week roughly, almost always on weekends because I'm too busy during the week. So here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy :)

At a little after 12, the Floo in Harry's office roared to life, and Scorpius stepped out, followed quickly by his father. Both were dressed in Muggle clothes - matching Muggle clothes, he noted. Cute. Malfoy looked different in Muggle clothes - more approachable, friendlier. He filled them out well, too, he noted, and then shoved that thought into the far corners of his mind.

"Harry," he said, and held out a hand. Harry wondered about the use of his first name, but didn't comment, simply shaking his hand, ignoring the slight tingling feeling, and bending down to hug Scorp. 

"How was school?" Harry asked him, and he grinned.

"I'm the smartest person in the class," he said cheekily. "My teacher said so."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she didn't say it like that, Scorp. You know she can't play favourites."

Scorpius perfectly imitated his father's eye roll. "Yes, Father."

"Where do you go to school?" Harry asked curiously.

"I go to a Muggle school!" he said excitedly. "Daddy says it's important cause there are going to be Muggleborns in my year when I get to Hogwarts, and I can help make them feel welcome since I'll know things!"

He pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Harry. "I drew this for you," he said, sounding shy all of a sudden.

It was a picture of a dragon, and it was extremely well drawn for someone his age. Harry grinned and thanked him, and immediately pinned it to the wall on the side of his desk, beside the pictures of Rose and Hugo.

"Who are they?" Scorpius asked, evidently remembering Harry had no children.

"Those are my best friend's kids, Rosie and Hugo," he explained. "Rosie's your age, and Hugo's turning three this year."

"They look nice," he said with a longing look. "Muggles are nice, but it'd be nice to have some wizard friends. Only two of Daddy's friends have kids, and they're just babies."

Harry decided he would have to arrange something with Hermione and Ron. He was sure he could make them come around - one look at Scorpius and they'd fall in love with him. Malfoy didn't have to come - surely he could trust Harry with his child after he'd rescued him from his mishap. 

"Are you ready to go? It's just after lunch time, so all the kids should still be in their rooms."

He nodded excitedly. "I brought toys, like I said I would. I hope they like them!" There was an underlying tone in his voice, an unspoken, _I hope they like me_.

"You can stay here if you want, Draco," Harry offered, and he looked surprised. "We won't be gone more than an hour at most - actually, I have something you could do, if you want. My healing salve doesn't seem to be working for me right now - maybe you could look at it, and tell me what I'm missing? It's on the shelf over there."

He looked uncertain, but nodded. "Be good, Scorpius, and listen to Harry."

The small blond nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Let's go!"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

They walked through the narrow hallways, Scorpius holding his hand. All of his bravado had disappeared, and he wondered just how much of it was a show for his father.

"Well, this is the first room," Harry said brightly. "Her name is Katie - she's your age."

He nodded, tightening his grip on Harry's hand. They walked into the room, and he heard a small gasp. He mentally slapped himself. Katie had a long scar covering one side of her face - with time, it would be almost completely healed, but he could imagine what it looked like to Scorpius. He should have warned him. He braced himself for the insensitive 'what happened to your face' comment, but instead, the child flew forward, grinning.

"Look, Harry, she has one of the dragon's from the Weasley's shop!"

The little brunette smiled shyly at the boy beside her bed. "I named him Sal," she said quietly. "Wanna play with him?"

He nodded, but looked at Harry first. 

Harry walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hi, Katie, how are you feeling today?"

"I wish I could go home, Healer Harry," she said sadly, but smiled anyway. "But it's nice to have a friend to play with!"

"We brought you presents," Scorpius announced. "To make you less sad about being in the hospital."

He rummaged in the bag he was holding and pulled out a dark brown Kneazle - the magical toy immediately moved towards the little girl and butted her hand with it's head. She squealed and picked it up, hugging it. It curled up on her like a real one, purring loudly.

"What are you going to name it?" Scorpius asked eagerly.

"Do you think it's a boy or girl?"

Scorpius debated for a long moment. "Girl," he said finally. 

"What about Buttercup?" Harry suggested, and both children grinned, evidently liking the name. And the kneazle purred in approval.

He placed a handful of sweets on the bedside table. "Don't eat these all at once, or Healer Patil will have my head," he warned, and Katie batted her dark eyes at him. "Scorpius, we better get going, we have other children to go and see."

"Will you come back?" Katie addressed her question to Scorpius, and he turned to look at Harry.

"I'll try to bring him back before you go home, Katie," Harry said. "If not, maybe I can convince get your parents to set up a playdate."

Both children nodded eagerly, and he watched in amazement as Katie hugged her new friend tightly. Scorpius waved as they walked out the door, and turned to Harry eagerly. 

"She's nice," he said. "And pretty. Do you really think Daddy will let me go and play with her at her house?"

It was possible, Harry mused. Her parents had been seventh years while they were first years - so he hoped that Malfoy hadn't wronged them in some way. Her parents were both purebloods, and with a decent amount of wealth, so he didn't see any reason why they would have been caught in the crossfire of the war. He just hoped that they weren't the type to judge someone without knowing them. Katie was a beautiful little girl, albeit very adventurous. Her and her older brother Gideon had been playing in their parents' forbidden library when an old, cursed book that the parents evidently had forgotten about about had fallen down and viciously bitten her. She'd been sent to the the regular children's ward at first, but since the book was cursed, it couldn't be healed with normal spells.

"I'll talk to him," Harry said, when he remembered that he still hadn't given Scorpius an answer.

A tall dark haired man stopped Harry, with a friendly smile. "Healer Potter. Nice to see you. I just wanted to let you know that Lydia is being released tomorrow. Thank you for everything you've done."

Leander, he remembered, Leander Brown. Lavender Brown's older brother. 

"Glad to hear it," he said with a smile. "I'm always glad to make a difference."

He smiled again, but then his smile slipped slightly when he noticed the child clinging to Harry's legs. 

He moved closer, lowering his voice so Harry had to strain to hear him. "Healer Potter, isn't that Draco Malfoy's child?"

Harry nodded, and he frowned.

"So Malfoy finally slipped up and used the Dark Arts on his own child, huh? Can't say I'm surprised."

Harry bristled at this. "Scorpius is here as my guest," he ground out. "We're handing out Christmas presents to the children. "

"You shouldn't have him here," he said angrily. "He's a Malfoy."

"He's a child, Leander, " Harry hissed. 

"A child of a Death Eater," he spat, and glared at Scorpius, who was clinging to Harry's robes even more now, looking scared.

"The war is over," he said, affronted. "There's no need to bring our children into this."

"Easy for you to say, Potter," the man said, his composure slipping. "You can't have children - you won't have to worry about your children being at school with scum like this. You want my opinion, they shouldn't let his sort into Hogwarts."

"If you want my opinion, you need to leave. Right now. Before I have you thrown out."

"My wife is a patient here," he said, jaw clenched. "You can't kick me out."

"I can, and I will, if you don't go!"

He stared icily at Harry icily for a minute, and then whirled around and stormed down the hall.

Harry took a deep breath.

Scorpius tugged on his robes, and Harry bent down to look into worried eyes. 

"Why did that man not like me?"

Harry was at a loss for words.

"Is it because of Daddy? I know he did bad things when he was younger- when there was a war - he won't tell me everything yet, but he told me that his family raised him in a bad way and that he learned from his mistakes. Why won't people forgive him?"

"Some people don't believe that people can change," Harry said sadly. 

"You don't hate my daddy, do you, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Scorp."

"Were you friends in school?"

He had no idea what Malfoy had told him, so he stuck to the truth. "We didn't like each other much - we liked to do stupid, mean things to each other - but we're grown ups now and we know better."

"So are you friends now?" he pressed, grey eyes gleaming.

"I - I don't know," he said. "I guess that's up to your father. Now, about the other kids that are waiting? We still have a lot of presents to give out!"

Harry walked down the hallway, heartbeat finally slowing slightly, and Scorpius scampered along behind him, wide eyed and innocent.


	4. Share the same last wish, last names.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner. It's been a shitty couple of weeks. My best friend's mom passed away, my cousin was diagnosed with epilepsy, my future roommate bailed on me, and work has been crazy. But I haven't given up! I'm too far into this story and have too much invested in it to give up now! So here's the next chapter and I hope you'll give me lots of feedback; your comments get me through the day and make them brighter. Love, always.

They got back to his office at a little after two, and Harry immediately bit back a grin. Malfoy was asleep on the sofa, curled into a ball and looking a lot younger than he was. 

"Daddy doesn't sleep a lot," Scorpius whispered. "He spends a lot of time working in his private lab when I'm sleeping."

Harry walked over to the couch and gently shook Malfoy awake. The soft skin of his arm was warm where Harry touched him - a slight jolt rushed through his fingertips as they made contact with it. The blond groaned and squeezed his eyes tighter. "Not now, Scorp, please," he muttered, and Harry chuckled.

"Get up, Draco," he said, and the blond jolted awake.

"Shit, Harry, sorry," he said, stretching. "I didn't mean to fall asleep, but you were gone so long and -"

"It's fine," Harry said, and he was suddenly glad he'd locked the door when they left. He didn't like the idea of Malfoy, alone and vulnerable in his office, while the likes of Leander roamed the halls with his stupid ideas and bad moods.

"I had lots of fun, Daddy, I met two girls and three boys and got to eat an ice cream cake and have purple soda -"

Harry coloured slightly. "Yeah, I didn't know what your opinion on junk food was, but I figured it couldn't hurt."

Malfoy just shook his head slightly. "It's fine. You better still eat your dinner, tonight, though, Scorpius."

"Can Harry come for dinner? Please?"

"I, uh," Malfoy obviously didn't know what to say.

"Please? Harry said you guys could be friends if you wanted to be. You want to be his friend, right, Daddy?"

Malfoy looked at his excited child, and then looked at Harry. Finally, he sighed and smiled.

"Harry, would you like to come and have Chinese takeout with us?"

"If it's not a bother," Harry said hesitantly, unable to look either Malfoy in the eye. "If another night would be better ..."

"No, no, it's fine. Are you finished here?"

He nodded. He wasn't working that day - he wasn't on call, either. He had simply come in because it was really the only time he had to pass out the Christmas presents before the rush that was the holiday schedules.

"Great. Would you mind walking? We actually don't live far from here."

Malfoy didn't live at the Manor? Well, then. Harry hung his Healer robes on the back of his door - laundry wasn't for two more days - and slipped into his jacket, placing a green hat onto his messy hair in case it was cold out. He'd Flooed here, so he didn't really know the temperature.

They left the hospital and joined the Muggles hurrying home from their jobs. Snowflakes were falling - just enough to dust the ground with white. Scorpius danced around the sidewalks with his tongue out, trying to catch some of the tiny white flakes, being careful not to wander too far ahead or too close to the road.

Malfoy turned onto a road with less traffic, and then onto another, even quieter road. He walked up the path to a small, quaint, house, and held the door open. 

"Welcome to my home, Harry," he said. 

"Draco -"

"Later," he said, "when Scorpius goes to bed, I'll answer the questions you have."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* 

Scorpius gave Harry a tour of the small house, and showed him all his favourite toys and books. He was surprised to see Malfoy had a few muggle things in his house - a television being the most surprising one.

The three of them sat down and watched a television movie, and at 6'o'clock, Malfoy ordered the chinese takeout. It didn't take long before they were all full and picking at what was left on their plates. Scorpius's eyes were drooping already, but he was fighting to stay awake.

"I wanna play Snap," he said, shaking himself awake. "I'm not tired."

"Scorpius -"

"One game," Harry suggested, looking at Malfoy, who nodded . "One game, and then I'll read you a story."

One game quickly turned into three, but Malfoy didn't say anything and neither did Harry, and when Scorpius finally admitted he was tired, Harry carried him to his room and read him a story about a princess and a dragon. He was asleep before he even got to the last page.

Harry looked up and found Malfoy watching him, grey eyes clouded. Tension crackled between the two as they eyed each other appraisingly.

"You're good with him," Malfoy said at last.

He nodded, his throat tight as he thought of what he couldn't have.

"Come on, let's have a drink and get to those questions, Potter."

Harry followed him down the hall. "First question, Malfoy - why do you call me Harry when Scorpius is around?"

"He doesn't like it when I call people by their last names - he thinks it means I don't like them," he explained. "Every since he overheard one of my customers yelling at me and calling me Malfoy instead of Draco."

"Oh," he said. "Do your customers usually yell at you?"

"No," he said. "I don't deal with a lot of customers in person, though. A big part of my work is mail-order. I do a lot of work for Hogwarts and St.Mungos - they were reluctant at first, but my potions skills apparently take precedence over my name."

"Have you ever thought of becoming a Potions Master?"

He looked at Harry with shadowed eyes. "I doubt I'm that good, Potter," he said slowly.

Harry understood the underlying meaning - he was scared of rejection. Not because he wasn't good enough, but of because he was who he was.

He changed the subject. "So what happened to the Manor?"

"I burned it to the ground," he said, staring Harry dead in the eye. And then he grinned, and it light up his whole face, making Harry's heart jump. "No, my mother lives there, and I needed my own space. She's very loving, but she thinks that Scorpius needs a mother figure in his life and constantly tried to set me up with a different girl at dinner every night. It was very overwhelming."

"I didn't know you were divorced," Harry said softly.

"It was part of the condition," he said. "I gave her whatever she wanted without batting an eye, but she didn't make it public. Scorpius has it hard enough."

"You really love him," he said. "I'm glad."

"Astoria loved him, too, in her own way, but it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. She wanted more than I could give her - more than I would give her, even if I could have. She wanted the riches and the glamours and the fame behind the Malfoy name - and I'm sure I still could have managed it, one day. I could have tried harder, given speeches about how people make mistakes and given away all the money I had to buy people's support - but it wasn't what I wanted. Instead, I made peace with the few people I actually cared about, and the rest can shove it. They can think what they want of me. Half of them weren't any better than I was."

"You made peace with Hermione, and George," Harry realized slowly. Probably the rest of the Weasleys, too - except maybe Ron. "But you never approached me, except to thank me for my testimony."

He lowered his eyes. "I didn't want to remind you about the war any more than I had to," he said. "I didn't forgive myself for what I did enough to ask for your forgiveness. Even with Granger and the Weasleys, it took a long, long time before I was able to talk to them. I think they forgave me before I forgave myself."

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the slight rise in his pulse. "I forgive you, too, Malfoy. I'll be the first to admit, I stopped thinking about you after the trials. I told myself you were in the past, and that was that. But I didn't realize that I'd forgiven you as well until now."

"Why did you do it?" he paused. "The trial, I mean. I understand why you'd help my mother. But why me?"

"You were just a kid, Malfoy. You didn't deserve to spend your life in Azkaban because you were trying to please your father. And besides, I didn't save your life twice just to let you waste away for the rest of it."

"Fair enough."

"I think that covers all of my q- wait, no. Scorpius mentioned something to me, that first day - about you and a potion for werewolves."

He coloured slightly. "It's nothing special. I haven't really gotten anywhere yet -"

"But it's true? You're trying to find a cure for lycanthropy?"

He nodded. "It's not like I'm the only one -"

"Stop, Malfoy, and accept some praise when you deserve it, okay? I think it's great that you're trying."

"Thank you," he said, almost shyly. "It means a lot."

The clock chimed nine, and Harry stood. "I should get going," he said, stretching. "I work an early shift tomorrow."

Malfoy walked Harry to the door, and then stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Potter. You're welcome back any time, you know. I know Scorpius is going to want to see you again, you made quite an impression on him. Hopefully he won't hate me when he finds out what our history is actually like."

"He loves you, Malfoy. He'll understand. Besides, we're not those people any more."

"I guess we're not," he said. "Well, goodnight, Potter."

He held out a hand for Harry to shake, and Harry did, enjoying the smooth slide of skin on skin and Malfoy's brief but honest smile.

"Goodnight, Malfoy."


	5. We wish you a Merry Christmas.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short filler chapter but it's cute and I like it. Feedback's always appreciated! :) Warnings: There is mean Ginny in this chapter, I have said before that she isn't the nicest in this story. Bear with me!

The days before Christmas passed in a blur. Harry worked multiple shifts, letting those with families have some time off to shop and get ready for their festivities. He spent a tense Christmas Eve with the Weasleys, as always. Ginny had another new boyfriend - she never seemed to keep them long. Ron and Hermione were delighted to see him, as always, and Rosie and Hugo didn't leave his side. After dessert, George brought up Malfoy.

"I can think of one little kid that's going to be happy tomorrow morning," he said, grinning at me. "Malfoy came in yesterday and bought that dragon, finally. Said he waited til the last minute cause Scorpius was sneaky and would have found it beforehand."

"I still don't think it's a good idea that you let people like that in your shop, George," Ginny sniffed, and her boyfriend (Dylan? Daniel?) nodded his agreement.

George narrowed his eyes at her. "I've made my peace with Malfoy, Ginny. If he wants to waste some of his Malfoy galleons at my shop, I'm not going to stop him. Besides, his kid is cute, right, Harry?"

Ginny glowered at Harry. "And how would you know?"

He sighed and explained the Floo incident to the table - Ron, Hermione, and George obviously already knew. He also told them about their trip to the hospital.

"I don't understand why you agreed to spend more time with him," Ginny said, and he wasn't sure which one she was reffering to. "The apple can't fall very far from the tree - by the time he starts Hogwarts, I'm sure he'll be a malicious little git like his father."

Harry seethed at her. "He's a child, Gin. He's six years old. He's adorable. He loves dragons and Chinese takeout and he goes to a Muggle school and shared his toys with the children in the hospital without anyone even asking him to."

"Whatever," she said. "It's just an act. Malfoy's gonna use his son to worm his way back into the Wizarding World, mark my words. He's been biding his time, is all."

Harry bit his lip harshly and changed the subject. "Molly, whatever is the recipe for this pie? You should consider cooking at St.Mungo's, the children would all love you."

***************************************************

Christmas morning found him asleep on the too-small sofa in his office when a pecking noise started. He ignored it and rolled over (really, he'd just gotten to sleep a few hours ago) but it was more and more persistent and finally he threw the blanket on the floor and stumbled to the window.

A small grey owl hooted at him cheerfully when he opened the window. It landed messily, scattering the papers on his desk, and held out its leg.

Harry pulled the roll of parchment off and fed the owl a treat while he opened the parchment.

 **Happy Christmas, Harry!** was written in childish letters, and there was a beautiful sketch of another dragon underneath it. Under that, there was another message, in beautiful, flowing script. 

_Happy Christmas, Potter. I know you're working, otherwise Scorpius would have forced me to go and kidnap you for Christmas dinner. I hope you have a good day nonetheless. Also, Scorp wishes to tell you that he got his dragon for Christmas and can now stop harassing every single person he sees for one. He is also probably going to eat sweets until he makes himself sick and get spoiled by my mother as usual. I hope this finds you well. Give my wishes to Granger, and Weasley, I suppose.  
Sincerely,  
Draco. L. Malfoy _

 

Harry grinned because the note sounded just like Malfoy. He penned a quick reply.

_Happy Christmas, Malfoy, and Scorpius too, of course. I wanted to get Scorpius something for Christmas, but I didn't have any idea what to get him, so I decided, if it's agreeable to you, that I'd take him to George's and let him pick something out. Within reason, of course. Or I could take him shopping, but I'm not too sure you'd let me see him again when I sent him back to you dressed in red and gold. Enjoy your dinner.  
Yours,  
Harry James Potter _

 

The owl zoomed out and Harry shook his head to clear the last bits of sleep from his brain. He wasn't officially on duty for another hour, but he decided to start his rounds early and maybe spread some Christmas cheer. This was the first Christmas that he wasn't spending with Ron and Hermione, but they were going to Hermione's parents. Mrs.Weasley had invited him to spend Christmas day with them as well, but one day with Ginny was enough. He had declined, using work as an excuse.

And it wasn't that bad, he thought, as he whistled, walking down the hallways. All of these people were alive and on their way to recovery. Some had a long way, some were nearly there, but they all had a fighting chance, and that was something to celebrate.

One of the other Healers, Healer Morgan, smiled at him as he passed her. "Up early, are we, Harry? Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas," he said, and it was. 

*******************************

When he finally returned to his office four hour later (he'd ran into minor complications, nothing major, just time consuming), the same grey owl from before was asleep on his desk. She blinked sleepily as he gently took the letter from her.

_Potter,  
If you dare to buy my son anything that is red and gold, I will make sure you piss green and silver for the rest of your life. I don't make threats idly. I'm off to my mother's now, so please let Belle rest a bit before sending her back.  
Malfoy _

He grinned, knowing he'd riled him up. As much as Malfoy had changed, some things would never change, and the rivalry between their respective school houses was one of them.


	6. We put the world away, we get so disconnected.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :) Thanks for the comments on the last chapter. I know the last chapter was short and a bit of a filler, but this one has a lot more Harry/Draco interaction and is generally a better chapter overall. My posts may be a bit more infrequent for a while, stretching between a week and two weeks before I post a new update, but don't worry, I don't plan on giving up on this. I just don't have much free time but I'll do my best. Comments as always, are very appreciated.

New Year's Eve found Harry off work and lonely. He'd declined yet another invitation from the Weasleys, but found himself half wishing he'd gone. He paced his flat multiple times before he finally gave up and set off down the street. He apparated into Muggle London, and it didn't take him long before he was in front of Malfoy's house. He rang the doorbell, hands shoved into his pockets because his gloves were apparently in his other coat.

Malfoy opened the door, dressed in a white button up shirt and black jeans, holding a glass of wine. He seemed surprised to see Harry.

"Uh, hi," Harry said nervously. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

He shook his head gracefully. "Not at all, Potter. But if you're looking for Scorpius, he's spending New Year's Eve with Teddy."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling slightly disappointed. "All right, then. Tell him I stopped by."

"I will," he said, and started to close the door. But then he opened it again and sighed. "Potter, you look like shit. Come in and have a glass of wine, why don't you?"

Harry turned, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he drawled. "But drinking alone isn't pleasant, and neither is wandering the streets of Muggle London on New Year's Eve. At the very least, you can have a glass of wine and then Floo yourself home."

Harry thought about it for a second. They'd been on okay terms, after their supper with Scorpius. He guessed it couldn't hurt. "All right,"he said, and stepped inside. 

He followed Malfoy down the hall, but they went past the sitting room they'd occupied last time. He turned into a narrow hallway and Harry realized they were in his private rooms. He had a sitting room, a bedroom, and a bathroom, nothing lavish, but tastefully decorated, and very Malfoy.

"Malfoy, you realize you can't be drinking that wine, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"It's an awfully strange colour ... yeah, a really worrying colour ... in fact, if I'm not mistaken, I'd say it looks almost .... red."

Harry bit back his laughter as Malfoy glared at him. 

"If this wasn't expensive wine, Potter, I'd toss it on your head right about now," he said. "It's not Gryffindor red, you dolt. It's the finest red wine money can buy. Do you want some, or is it above what you're used to?"

Harry stuck out his tongue and held out his hand. He accepted a glass, their fingers brushing slightly, and they settled onto the sofa together.

"So, Malfoy," he mused, "why aren't you at any New Year's parties? I know Parkinson throws one every year."

"I was supposed to spend the evening with Scorp, but Andromeda owled me at the last minute asking me if I would send Scorpius over. He wanted to go, so I let him. I could have joined Pansy's party at the last minute, but I decided that a night in would be better. I've been working a lot lately."

"You and me both," Harry sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

Malfoy smirked. "Would it make a difference if I said no?"

Harry grinned for a second, but then his expression sobered. "Why doesn't Andromeda like you? I thought her and your mother had made up."

He looked sad, his grey eyes cloudy, and for a minute, Harry regretted asking. He laid a hand on Malfoy's , but he jolted away from the touch as if it burned.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, and moved away a little.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just a sensitive subject. See, when I talked to you about Astoria and I's divorce, I left out something crucial. She wanted to take Scorpius to France with her, and he didn't want to go. He wanted to stay with me, and I let him. I told her she could see him whenever she wanted, and she hasn't made an attempt yet. I think she only wanted to take him because she knew how much he means to me. And Andromeda ... she thinks its wrong that I denied Scorpius the chance to live with his mother."

"It's none of her business," Harry said sharply. "None at all."

"I understand where she's coming from, however. She lost her daughter - and Teddy lost his mother. She wants Scorp to have what Teddy can't have, wants Astoria to have what she can't have. But Astoria is nothing like Andromeda, or Nymphadora. Had she lived, I have no doubt she would have been the best mother possible. Astoria, on the other hand ... doesn't have a maternal bone in her body."

It was weird, hearing Malfoy call Tonks by her full name. It also made him think of Remus, and Fred, and Sirius, and even Snape. 

"I miss her," Harry said softly. "All of them, really."

"I wish I had gotten a chance to get to know her," he said just as softly. The firelight flickered. "I have many regrets, and most of them have to do with the stupid prejudice that I was raised with."

"You should come to the remembrance ceremony this year," he said. "Ten years, this year."

"I'm not sure I would be welcome," he said wistfully.

"I'm inviting you," Harry said firmly. "Besides, you lost people, too," he said, his voice trailing off as he thought of Crabbe, who'd been another victim of a vicious, abusive, prejudice upbringing. And Snape, who Malfoy had looked up to. And even Lucius, who had deserved everything he got, but was still his father, despite the circumstances.

"I miss Severus," Draco said. "I could have learnt so much from him."

Harry's throat was unexpectedly raw and tight, and it took a few minutes before he could answer. "Me, too," he said finally. "I could have learnt so much from him, too, if I'd only learnt to listen to him at all."

Harry thought of his disastrous potions, his failed attempts at Occlumency. Snape been very good at what he did - he taunted Harry mercilessly, made him believe he couldn't win, and ultimately, made him fight harder than ever for what he wanted. He'd been a good double agent - until the very end, when Harry had seen his memories, he hadn't even been sure that he'd really been on their side. But he'd saved his life many times, and in the end, had believed in Harry enough that he'd laid his life on the line for him. Part of it was love and loyalty for Lily, he knew that, but he'd also come to care for him, Harry realized, enough to be one of many to sacrifice himself for his cause.

"He didn't die alone, you know," Harry said gently. "We were there - Hermione, Ron, and I, that is."

This time, Malfoy was the one to lay his on Harry's, and squeeze his fingers gently. "I know. And I'm glad."

They sat for a long time, remembering the great thing about the great people they lost. Some of it was remembered out loud, and some of it was remembered in silence. They both slowly leaned sideways until they were leaning against each other slightly, offering each other wordless comfort as they relived painful memories. And when their hands happened to stay entwined, neither of them made any move to pull away.

After a few long minutes of silence, Malfoy turned to him. "How much do you think I should tell Scorp? About the war, I mean. I know he's curious .... he hears things, sometimes. And I don't know what to tell him. That's part of the reason I keep him away from the Wizarding World as much as I can."

"You did a good job with that," Harry snorted, "I didn't even know you had a child. But I would tell him as much as you can - it's better for him to hear it from you. It won't be easy, but you don't have to worry, Malfoy. He loves you, and looks up to you, and nothing is going to change that. You made mistakes, but you learned from them, and that's worth a thousand times more than being a perfect person. He'll be able to open up to you more, knowing that you made mistakes, too."

"That's something I didn't have," he mused. "My father acted like he was perfect, and I was supposed to be perfect, too. Merlin, Potter, you have no idea how many times he yelled at me just because Granger beat my test scores. Can you imagine what would have happened if I told him I didn't want to be a Death Eater?"

"So you didn't want to?"

He considered this. "I think I thought I did, if that makes sense. I wanted to make my father proud, and I wanted to do whatever he was doing. But I didn't want to actually hurt anyone - I was just a scared kid who tried to grow up too fast. Doesn't excuse anything I did, but it's true."

"You didn't kill anyone, at least not directly," Harry reminded him. "

"I let Death Eaters into the school more than once," he reminded me. "Snape killed Dumbledore because I couldn't do it - he murdered someone he cared about because I couldn't even be a proper Death Eater."

"One day, I'm going to show you Snape's memories," Harry vowed. "Malfoy, Dumbledore was dying already when Snape killed him. Merlin, you really didn't follow any of the trials, did you? Or read any of the papers?"

He shook his head frantically. "No, I couldn't, they made me sick," he said. "I isolated myself in the manor for months before I took my NEWTS privately outside of London. A year later, I married Astoria, and she didn't want any reminders of the war in our house. And when she left me, I focused solely on raising Scorpius and opening my shop."

'You could have saved yourself a lot of guilt," I mused. "Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him. He was dying already, from a slow-acting curse, and he knew what had been asked of you. He didn't want you to have his blood on your hands, Malfoy."

A single tear trailed down the pale cheek. "He cared about everyone, didn't he, that foolish old man?"

"Even Voldemort, at one point," Harry agreed, and Malfoy paled a little at that.

"I'm glad you won, Potter," he whispered fiercely, and Harry smiled just a little bit.

"I'm glad, too." A pause. "I'm trying to believe that everything happens for a reason."

"Shitty things happen for a reason, anyway," he concluded. "I'm glad we talked about this. I've never talked to anyone about any of this."

"I figured," Harry said. "Now, getting back to our original topic - do you want me to talk to Andromeda for you?"

He shook his head, his eyes glowing softly in the dim light. "She'll come around. Thanks for the offer."

"You can't hide forever, Malfoy. Scorpius needs to know what a normal life is like."

He bristled. "My son is perfectly normal."

"I didn't mean it like that," Harry said quickly. "It's just - you hide in your shop or your lab all the time, you live in Muggle London, Scorpius goes to a muggle school - what are you so scared of, Draco? That people will harm you and your son? Or that they'll reject you?"

His face closed off and he got to his feet unsteadily. "Get out, Potter."

"C'mon, Malfoy, I'm just trying to help -"

"GET OUT!"

Harry stood just as unsteadily. "Fine. I'm going. But it's true. Not everyone's going to accept you . But NO ONE will accept you if you don't even try. It's been ten years, Malfoy. So many people have moved on. Why can't you?"

He let himself out of the flat made it a few steps down the road when the first of the fireworks went off. He raised his wand in the air, sending up a shower of sparks.

"Happy New Year to me," he muttered.


	7. I'm not angry, I'm just saying.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter. Better than nothing, though, right? Feedback would be great :)

A little over a week later, there was a rap on Harry's office door. He called whomever it was in, not looking up from his files.

"Harry!"

He looked up to see Scorpius's excited face staring at him. His father leaned against the door frame, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Potter."

"Malfoy."

"Scorpius wanted to come and visit the sick children again," he said politely. "But if it's a bad time, we can come back."

"No, it's fine. I'm actually not on duty but I can never seem to stay on top of my paperwork," Harry muttered. "I could use a break, though."

He stood up, glad for the excuse to stretch his legs. 

Harry bent down to hug Scorpius, who was babbling excitedly about dragons and Teddy's hair and fireworks. He then saw the huge aquarium of fish that had been put up just after the New Year, and ran across the hall without a second thought.

"I'd like to accompany you, if you don't mind," Malfoy requested formally.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "What, don't trust me with your son anymore?"

Malfoy glowered for a few seconds before he made himself relax. "I'm trying to - that is, I want to tell you that - damn it, Potter, I'm sorry for the other night, okay?" 

Harry was surprised. "Oh. Well, you could have just said so. I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pushed a sensitive subject the way I did."

The blond grit his teeth. "You were right, all right? I'm a coward. I'd rather hide behind my pathetic routine and avoid anything that could possibly upset me."

Harry exhaled loudly. "It'd be different if you seemed happy, Malfoy. But you don't. Let me help you, please."

"I can only imagine what people will think," he said darkly.

"It's been ten years! It's hardly likely that you have a hidden agenda any more. Scorp is more likely to use me than you are. Besides, everyone knows I have a saving people thing. They'll just assume you're my latest victim." Harry grinned at him cheekily.

"I'm doing this for Scorpius," he reminded him. "I want him to be accepted, to be loved, to be welcomed."

"For Scorpius," Harry echoed obediently. "Now, were you serious about coming with us to see the children? Cause if so, we can save the kitchen staff the job of delivering lunch and do it ourselves."

Harry considered it one point in his favour when Malfoy only grimaced once.

 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 

The children were excited to see Scorpius again. Katie was the last one the stopped and visited with. She was getting ready to be discharged the next day. The scarring on her face was very, very faint, and she looked happy and healthy. Her father was sitting beside her, reading to her, when Harry knocked on the door.

"Healer Potter!" he said, getting to his feet. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my Katie!"

"It's a pleasure," Harry said, colouring slightly.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked. "Last minute stuff we need to know?"

"Oh, no," Harry said quickly. "I came to say goodbye, and I brought someone who would like to see Katie again before she leaves."

Draco and Scorpius stepped into the room, and Katie jumped off the bed and hugged her friend eagerly.

"You came back!" she cried. "Daddy, look, this is the boy I told you about!"

"Pleased to meet you," Scorpius said, standing up stiffly, and Harry grinned at the sight. Scorpius had his father's manners, through and through.

"Katie told me about you," the man said calculatingly. "Scorpius Malfoy." 

He then looked at Draco, standing awkwardly but stiffly in the doorway of the small room. He stood, and held out a hand. 

"It's been a long time, Draco," he said slowly. "I'm not sure if you remember me. Elliot Symington."

Draco took his hand hesitantly. "I think so," he said slowly. "You used to come to the Manor when I was young. You fed me sweets when my parents weren't looking. I used to look forward to your visits."

Elliot looked at him for a few minutes. "I was upset when we stopped visiting," he said. "But I understand why now - your dad was pressuring mine into things he wasn't ready for," he said, not giving anything away, shooting a meaningful look at the children. "I wanted to go and talk to you when you started Hogwarts - I was a seventh year. But I didn't think you'd remember me, or talk to me, since I was in Ravenclaw."

"I probably would have been scared of you but bluffed it out by acting like a snotty brat," Draco admitted. "You were dating a Gryffindor, right? A pretty girl with black hair?"

"Good memory," Elliot said with a grin, obviously warming up to him now. "Her name is Penelope. Married her a year later. We have four kids - Katie's the youngest."

"She's pretty," Draco said, admiring the little girl who was talking animatedly with his son. "Scorp seems to really like her."

"Feeling's mutual," the other man grinned. "She talked about him as much as she talked about Healer Potter. Seems to have quite the crush on both of them."

Harry was blushing, Draco noted. Interesting.

"So where have you been hiding, Draco? You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"

He smiled. "It's fine, Elliot. I - well, I haven't felt very at home in the Wizarding World," he said awkwardly. "What with the war and all -"

Elliot cut him off. "I know what you did, Draco, but I also know what you were like as a kid - you worshipped the ground your father walked on. He set a bad example, and you followed it. But I'm sure you've gotten past that, by now?"

"It's hard," Draco admitted. "Most people - most people don't think like you do."

"Ignore them," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Not everyone will like you. Their loss."

Draco smiled awkwardly and glanced at Potter. "Yeah, Harry's been telling me the same thing," he said sheepishly. "I guess I still have my Malfoy pride."

Elliot grinned. "Even as a messy 5 year old, you had your Malfoy pride. But seriously, Draco, I'd be glad to have you and Scorpius over one day for dinner. Even you, Healer Potter, if you'd like to come. Katie would be over the moon!"

Harry seemed to consider it. "Sure," he said finally. "As long as you don't call me Healer Potter at the table - Harry will be fine, really."

The three men fell silent as they watched the children laughing together. Draco felt his heart tightening as he watched his son with the pretty girl - he'd always wanted more children, but that didn't seem like it was in the stars for him. And then he thought of Harry, who was staring longingly at the pair, and his heart tightened even more. At least he had Scorpius.

After a few minutes, Draco called to his son. "Come on, Scorpius, we better get going."

"Awwwww, no," Scorpius moaned, and Katie looked devastated.

"We're going to have Scorpius, his daddy, and Healer Potter over for supper next week, how about that?" Elliot said, and the children grinned.

"Okay," Scorpius said. "I'll bring my dragon! I named him Gryff!"

Harry looked at Draco with a smirk then, and Draco rolled his eyes. Dumb Gryffindor.

They said their goodbyes, and the trio turned to the door. Draco brushed against Harry slightly, and Harry was assaulted by a lingering, sweet smell and a wave of warmth from the contact. Draco glanced at him, and he dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to meet the grey eyes for some reason.

"Do you wanna use my Floo to go back home?" he offered, but Draco shook his head. 

"No, it's all right," he said. "I need to pick up some groceries on the way home."

"Mind if I join?" he asked. "I think my fridge is going to get up and walk away if I don't start using it soon."

"Yeah, come!" Scorpius said eagerly. "We can get milkshakes!"

"It's cold out," Draco said, and the little blond shot his father a dirty look, obviously disgusted with his father's proclamation.

"I know a good diner," Harry said hesitantly. "It's on Diagon Alley, but it's a pretty small place, most people don't go there. It's uh, well, it's owned by Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, actually."

Draco simply raised an eyebrow. "More Gryffindors, really?"

Harry shrugged, and Draco sighed. "Fine. One of these days, though, I'm dragging you into Slytherin's lair, and we'll see how comfortable you are there."

Harry smirked. "The hat wanted to put me there, you know. I begged it not to because I wanted to be with Ron and he was sure he was going into Gryffindor."

Draco looked horrified, and Harry laughed as he got his jacket and boots on. 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Dean was washing some of the table when Harry entered with Scorpius, the other Malfoy lingering behind him slightly.

"Harry, hey! I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about us!" he grinned widely. "Seamus is gone down to Gringotts, but he should be back soon. Come, sit down." He then apparently noticed Malfoy standing behind Harry and his grin faltered. "Malfoy."

Harry shot him a look, and glanced down at Scorpius.

Dean cleared his throat, and tried again. "Malfoy. Long time no see. This your kid?"

Harry swore he saw Malfoy heave a sigh of relief, and he plastered a smile on his face.

"Yes. Scorpius, this is Dean Thomas. He went to school with Harry and I."

"Hello," Scorpius said shyly. And he looked between the two men. "You didn't like Daddy, either, did you?"

He sounded so sad that Harry's heart broke a little, and Dean frowned a little at the boy.

"Well, uh -"

"It's okay," the little boy said sadly. "I know Daddy did bad things. But he's trying, you know. He came with me and Harry today to see the sick children, and he's taking us all to dinner at Katie's parents next week and he bought me the dragon I really wanted for Christmas. He even wrote Harry a note for Christmas because Harry was going to be spending it alone and he didn't want Harry to be sad! He's a good daddy, and you should give him a chance!" He finished his little rant with a very Malfoy-like glare, and clung to his father's leg.

Malfoy had turned bright red, Harry noticed, and was looking at the floor.

"Well, uh, sit down, guys," Dean said awkwardly. "Um, Scorpius, do you like milkshakes? We make the best ones in town."

Scorpius nodded eagerly, forgetting about everything else, and Harry followed Dean to the back, reading the unspoken questions in his eyes.

"Malfoy, Harry? Really?"

"What?" Harry said. "He's changed a lot and -"

"Enough for you to be shagging him?"

"WHAT? No, Dean, no! I am not shagging Malfoy!" Harry sputtered, turning red. "We only got back in contact because his son accidentally flooed himself into my flat! Scorpius likes me, so I spend time with Malfoy. That's all."

"Too bad," Dean said with a shrug. "He's always been good looking, even though he was a right arse. Bet he looks great with nothing on."

Harry glared at his friend, pushing any images of a naked Malfoy into the far back corner of his mind. That was not something he needed to think about. "Please give him a chance, Dean. He's locked himself away from most of the Wizarding World for the last ten years. He has a shop not too far from here, I bet you didn't even know that, did you?"

Dean shrugged. "No one knows much about Malfoy. Everyone just assumed he stays at his Manor doing his holier-than-thou routine."

"He's not like that anymore," Harry protested. "He's raising Scorpius the right way."

"Well, good for him," Dean said. "Still, he did a lot of bad shit when we were students - he can't expect everyone to just forget that."

"I don't think he excepts anyone to forgive him," Harry mused. "He mostly takes mail-order potion orders, he sends Scorpius to muggle school, and he lives in the middle of muggle London. It's not right, Dean. Others did much worse, and did their time in Azkaban and were pardoned and live normally."

"He could, too, if he tried," Dean said flippantly. "You're right, he doesn't seem that bad, I guess. But I want the real deal, Harry, why are you spending so much time with him?"

Harry thought of Scorpius's bold grey eyes and messy hair and cute obsession with dragons and his obvious crush on Katie and sighed loudly.

"Scorpius," Harry said, and Dean looked thoughtful yet sad.

"I thought as much," he said. "Don't you think it's dangerous, getting attached to a child that isn't yours?"

"It's not like I can have one of my own," Harry said hotly, blood pressure rising.

Dean waved a hand. "You could adopt," he said sensibly. "If Ginny hadn't been such a bitch, that would have been the logical step."

"She wanted her own kids," Harry said. "I don't blame her."

"She wanted Potter kids," Dean argued. "It's not like she's any closer to having her own kids now, is she? Every time I see her, she's with a different man. She's just heartless."

"Stop," Harry said. He didn't want to listen to his friend bash his ex. "Just stop."

Dean continued making the three milkshakes silently. He walked back out and put them on the table as Harry sat down.

"It's on me," Dean said gruffly. "Enjoy."

Malfoy gave Harry an odd look as Scorpius slurped his milkshake eagerly. Harry didn't meet his eyes, stirring his milkshake viciously.


	8. I found a friend, or should I say more.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :) It's Saturday night and there are a million other things I could and should be doing but instead I am giving you an update :) I was extremely pleased with the comments I got on the last chapter. Quite a few people suggested making this a mpreg story ... and we'll see. So far, with what I've written, it hasn't come up, but that's not saying it won't. Your ideas have opened up possibilities and we shall see how my brain decides to process things. But for now ... I think you'll like this chapter ;)  
> Oh and have any of you watched Tom Felton's superfans documentary? I love him way too much! Follow me on twitter @kaila_kaycee or tumblr d0llhouse-h3earts.tumblr.com if you guys ever wanna talk more about anything at all! I love making friends :)

"Uncle Harry!"

The second Harry stepped through the door of Ron and Hermione's flat, he was attacked by a mess of red hair and flailing legs.

He scooped his goddaughter off her feet and swung her around. She giggled madly, and squealed when he dropped her suddenly to the ground and started tickling her.

Hermione leaned in the doorway, smiling at her best friend, and Ron came out of the bathroom, hair wet and shirt half-buttoned.

"Got home late," he explained, doing up the buttons. "Stupid robbery."

Ron had followed their original plan and gone into Auror training after the war. He'd been disappointed when Harry had opted to take his NEWTS and go into Healer training, but he'd come around after a day or two, wanting Harry to do something that made him happy. He'd been supportive all through Harry and Ginny's break up - Harry was glad they had never gotten married.

Harry sank into his favourite chair, and Hugo padded over hesitantly. "Hi," he said shyly. 

Harry picked him up and sat him on his lap, and the little boy hid his face in Harry's shirt.

"So, Harry," Hermione said, getting to the heart of the matter quickly as always, "I heard you've taken Malfoy's little boy under your wing."

Harry stared at her.

"I talked to Leander Brown," Hermione said, sniffing slightly. She'd never liked Leander. Then again, she'd never liked Lavender, either. "He says he's seen you around with Malfoy's boy at the hospital a few times, and apparently saw you in Diagon Alley with both of them a few days ago."

Harry cursed Leander Brown silently but with all his might.

"Scorpius is a cute kid," Harry said defensively. "And Malfoy's not that bad, now, Hermione, you know that."

"I know that, he apologized to me and Ron a few years ago," she said, shrugging. "Haven't seen much of him since."

"You never even told me that you'd seen him in the first place," Harry muttered, and Ron mumbled apologetically.

"You seemed pretty dead-set on wanting nothing more to do with him after the trials," Hermione said. "I didn't want to upset you by bringing him up."

 _I didn't want to upset you by reminding you he hadn't tried to see you, or apologize to you after the trials,_ Harry translated.

"It's fine," he said. "He's fine, really. He seems like he's a good dad. Scorpius really is a great little kid." 

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. "Harry -" Hermione started, but was stopped by Harry's glare.

"I know, Hermione," he said. " 'Don't get too attached.' You're only the third person to give me the same warning."

"I'm not just thinking about you, Harry," she said gently. "Scorpius can get equally attached to you, too. And if something happens between you and Malfoy and you go back to the way you used to be -"

"We've grown up, 'Mione," Harry insisted. "Nothing's going to happen."

Hermione shook her head, looking like she was going to push the subject, but Harry cut in again.

"I was actually wondering if you would mind if I brought them round, one night," he said, and Ron's mouth fell open.

"Malfoy, here?" he said, stunned. "Why?"

"Scorpius is the same age as Rosie," he explained. "I thought it'd do him some good to have him have some witch and wizard friends his age -"

"What do you mean, witch and wizard friends?"

"He goes to Muggle school," Harry said, shrugging. His two friends stared in disbelief. "I told you, Malfoy's changed."

Ron looked like a fish out of water for a few minutes before he found his voice. "You're mad, mate. Are you sure it's actually Malfoy?"

Harry scowled. "Next time I see him, I'll make sure to ask him for a list of all the insults we traded in school to make sure it's really him, how 'bout that?"

Ron flushed. "Look, mate, I'm just saying -"

"It's fine," Harry said, forcing a smile. "I'll let you think about the playdate, how about that? Now, what's for dinner?"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Harry struggled awake as an owl pecked frantically at the window. He opened the window sleepily, recognizing Malfoy's owl. He let her in, and his eyes jumped to the clock. It was 2:30am.

Harry opened the letter quickly.

_Harry,_  
_I'm sorry to bother you, but Scorpius is sick, and I was wondering if you'd come by and give me your opinion? I'm afraid I'm biased when it comes to Scorp and always assume the worst. Also, he's asking for you. Please._  
_Draco_

Harry dressed quickly and apparated from his flat into Draco's sitting room. The blond was sitting on the couch, a shivering Scorpius laying on him.

"H-Harry," Scorpius croaked. "You c-came."

"Of course," Harry reassured him. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," he moaned. "So hot."

Harry touched the boy's forehead and was startled at how hot it felt. He turned to Draco. "How long has he been like this?"

"He woke me up an hour ago," Draco said, sounding shaky. "I owled you right off."

"I think he has scarlet fever," Harry said. "We should take him to St.Mungos."

Draco didn't protest, and made a move to get his cloak, but Harry shook his head.

"We'll Floo to my office, it's still connected to your Floo after your last visit. Do you want me to carry him?"

Draco shook his head and scooped his son up gently. The three of them squished into the Floo together and stumbled out into Harry's office. Harry sent his Patronus down the hallway to warn the Paediatrics' healer that they were coming.

Draco looked at him, face pale. "How serious is scarlet fever?"

"It can be bad," Harry said seriously. "You did the right thing, calling me. I recognized it right off. It gets bad when parents treat it like a simple flu - it takes proper potions, and right off."

Healer Samson, head Healer of Paediatrics, met the trio right off and took Scorpius gently from his father's arms. "We need to run a quick test to confirm, Healer Potter, but it would look as though you are right. Wait here, please, both of you."

She disappeared with Scorpius, and Draco sat shakily, hands sweaty.

Harry sat beside him and placed a hand reassuringly on his arm. "He'll be okay, Draco," he said softly. "Healer Samson knows what she's doing."

Draco nodded, but didn't look reassured. Harry grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.They were still holding hands when Healer Samson came back into the small waiting room.

"You were correct, Healer Potter," she said. "It's scarlet fever. But you caught it really fast, and we've already started the antibiotics. He should be fine within a week."

Harry smiled at Draco. "Draco did the right thing by owling me so fast," he said. "He's a good father."

Healer Samson smiled slightly. "I don't doubt that. He's sleeping now, but you may see him, if you wish."

Draco got to his feet and walked to the door, but stopped and looked back at Harry, who hadn't moved. "Aren't you coming?"

Harry blushed a little. "I thought you might like to be alone," he said softly.

"Nonsense," Draco said, and caught Harry's hand again, pulling him alongside him. 

The two of them stared at the sleeping boy for a few minutes. Harry leaned against Draco slightly, their hands still joined. Scorpius looked peaceful now, and appeared to be sleeping deeply. Healer Samson appeared behind them.

"He'll be asleep for at least 12 hours," she said. "You should go home and get some rest, Mr.Malfoy. We can deal with the paperwork tomorrow." She smiled at his reassuringly, and walked back down the hall.

Draco nodded, but looked hesitant.

"He's in good hands," Harry soothed. "Come on."

"I wish you worked in Paediatrics," Draco said. "I'd feel better, knowing you were taking care of him."

Harry coloured slightly. "He'll get the best treatment, Draco, I'll make sure of it."

They walked into Harry's office, and Draco looked at Harry hesitantly. "Uhhh-"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to stay at my house tonight?" Draco asked in a rush. "I don't think I can deal with being alone right now."

Harry didn't even hesitate. "Sure," he said. "I start at four tomorrow - we can come in early, and you can check on Scorpius."

Draco nodded, looking grateful. Within seconds, they were back at the little house, and Harry summoned two mugs of hot chocolate. Draco took one gratefully.

"I'm glad you're here, Harry," he said seriously. "I'm not sure how well I would have handled it alone."

"You would have done fine, Draco. I meant what I told the Healer - you're a great father."

"I try," he said softly. "He's my everything."

Harry looked sad, and Draco edged closer, until there was no space between them. The flames crackled comfortingly, and between the warmth from the fire and the warmth coming from the two bodies that were sharing the same space, Draco felt almost dizzy.

"Why didn't Ginevra want to adopt children?" he asked. "If it's not too sensitive of a topic."

"I'm not sure," Harry said so softly Draco barely heard him. "Dean said something, the other day, about how she wanted Potter children."

"They would have been Potter children, nonetheless," Draco said. "Just without Potter blood. But blood doesn't make a family."

Harry leaned against Draco comfortably. "You've come a long way, Draco," he said. The blond was close, very close, and the scent of him was becoming almost overpowering.

"Harry -"

But Harry kissed him before he had a chance to finish whatever he was going to say. Draco hesitated for a minute, and then kissed him back roughly, a kiss filled with need and fuelled by years of loneliness. The kiss intensified, and Harry pulled Draco on top of him, slipping his hands under his shirt, needing to feel the smooth skin against his palms.

Harry's cock was hardening in his jeans as Draco's tongue slid easily into his mouth, caressing his tongue softly. He ran his hand down his back, his sides, and then back up, running a finger up his neck to the soft shell of his ear. Harry's lips left Draco's to follow his hands, sucking on the soft skin just under the blond's ear,and then moving up, nibbling the earlobe and swirling his tongue roughly in the top of the earlobe. He kissed his way back down the blond's neck, sucking all the tender spots until he reached his collarbone.

Draco groaned and moved his hips slightly, rocking back and forth. Harry slipped Draco's shirt over his head and trailed kisses down his neck and chest. He captured a nipple between his teeth and sucked it into his mouth, causing Draco to moan wantonly and rub against Harry's leg. His hand captured the other nipple between his fingers, pinching it roughly, and scraping his nails against it slightly, feeling the tremors that raced through the blond.

Draco pulled Harry's head up and kissed him over and over again, roughly, fiercely, sucking on his lower lips and his tongue. His hands slipped lower, under Harry's long shirt, working the buttons on Harry's jeans with one hand while the other was threaded in the messy black hair. Harry gasped and pulled away.

"H-have you done this with a guy before?"

Draco shook his head, but quickly reassured Harry. "I want this," he said. "Please."

"Okay," Harry breathed, kissing his pale skin. "But we can stop any time."

Draco slipped his hands into Harry's boxers and stroked his hard cock, and any protests Harry were forgotten. Draco's thumb slipped over the head of Harry's cock and he moaned, thrusting his hips upward, begging Draco wordlessly to touch him more. At the same time, he slid out of his boxers and pulled his shirt over his head, needing to feel Draco hot and naked against him.

"You're wearing too much," he whispered, and pushed Draco's trousers down his hips. He traced a finger over the bulge in the blond's boxers, making him whimper helplessly.

"I want to suck your cock," Harry whispered, and Draco moaned, pushing Harry's head down, thrusting his hips upwards and pushing his boxers down with one smooth movement.

Harry slid down and took the hard cock in his mouth. Draco's fingers tangled in Harry's hair, pulling slightly. Harry sucked the head of the cock, licking the precum off it, and then moved up to kiss Draco again, letting him taste himself on Harry's tongue. He slid back down and took Draco's cock deeply, and the blond whined, a painful, arousing noise that made Harry even harder than he already was. He reached down and stroked himself with one hand while he sucked on Draco's cock, moving his lips quickly and roughly, making the blond gasp every couple of seconds. 

"Gonna come," Draco panted, hands fisted in Harry's hair. "Oh, gods, gonna come."

Harry slowed down, barely sucking any more, and Draco moved his hips in frustration, thrusting into Harry's hot mouth. 

"Uhgghhh," Draco moaned as he came into Harry's mouth. He released his grip on Harry's hair, and Harry climbed up onto his lap, pressing his hard cock against Draco's now limp one.

Draco kissed him harshly, moaning and Harry rolled him over. Draco didn't complain as Harry straddled him, the head of his cock digging against the soft flesh of Draco's arse.

Harry kissed the back of his neck, his shoulders, and all the way down his back, stopping just about the cleft of his arse cheeks. He hesitated just a brief moment, and then spread them apart and thrust his tongue into the tiny hole. Draco lifted a few inches off the couch, pushing his arse against Harry's face. He licked slowly, deeply, while Draco begged him to go faster, harder, barely managing to get the words out of his mouth as he panted with Harry's every movement.

Harry licked one of his fingers, getting it good and went, and slid it slowly into Draco's tight hole. The blond moaned.

"Hurts," he managed, "don't stop."

He pumped the finger slowly, until the blond was again writhing with lust, thrusting backwards to impale himself on the finger that was slowly driving him crazy. Harry added another, moving them quicker and deeper, and finally, added a third, stretching the blond enough that he'd be able to slide in comfortably. He pulled the fingers out, and Draco clawed at the sofa helplessly. Harry ate him out again, sliding his tongue deeper than before, getting him good and wet. Harry was leaking precum, and he smeared some onto his fingers and slid them into Draco again. His other hand covered his cock with the natural lubricant. 

He laid down against Draco, and kissed the side of his neck again, and then whispered, breath hot on the blond's ear. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Merlin, yes," Draco gasped. "Now,now."

Harry slid into him slowly, feeling the heat envelop him as he stretched the blond carefully, not wanting to hurt him more than he had to. He moved slowly at first, but it was merely seconds before the blond was moving his hips, grabbing Harry's hands and begging him to faster.

"Fuck me,Harry," he panted. "Harder, please."

Harry picked up speed, thrusting into the blond. He turned Draco's head and kissed him hotly, his tongue moving in time with his hips. Draco moaned into his mouth, eyes watery as Harry fucked him harder and harder. There was a spot in his arse that sent ripples of pleasure spiralling through him. 

"Draco," Harry panted. "Can't last much longer."

Draco just raised his hips, letting Harry hit deeper and deeper, and within seconds, he was filled with a hot, burning sensation as he came deep inside Draco. 

Harry rolled off of him onto the floor, and Draco dropped his face into the cushions of the sofa.

Neither spoke for a few minutes.

"I-is it always like that?" Draco asked for a few minutes.

"I don't know," Harry said softly. "I've never bottomed, I've never trusted anyone enough."

"I didn't even know you liked men," Draco accused, and Harry just smiled.

"I don't really have a preference, I've always liked both. But after Ginny screwed me over, I turned more to men. I wasn't looking to get my heart broken again, and men were less likely to do that."

Draco thought that was one of the saddest things he'd ever heard, but he didn't say anything, instead struggled to his feet. His muscles screamed at him, and there was a slight burning sensation, but other than that, he felt great. He held out a hand to Harry.

"Come, I'd like to get at least a few hours of sleep," he said, and Harry blinked at him.

"You want me to sleep with you?"

Draco didn't blush (Malfoy's didn't blush), and just arched a brow. "You just shagged me senseless on my sofa, I think we can share a bed without worrying about the consequences."

Harry looked at him for a minute and then shrugged sleepily, getting to his feet and taking Draco's hand, following him down the narrow hallway to the bedroom. They got into bed without saying a word, and within seconds, both were asleep.


	9. More than just a one night stand to me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys: I finally have some time to work on this story and I want to know - do people really want a mPreg story? If I DO make it into one of those, be warned that it will not be in great detail because it's not something I am really comfortable with writing, especially since I've never done it before. But I am willing to try. It all depends on you guys, though.   
> Any other thoughts or ideas or anything are always greatly appreciated :)

The two breakfasted together the next morning, neither of them bringing up the events of the night before. Afterward, Draco offered Harry first use of the shower, and within the hour, they were cleaned and dressed.

"So, about last night -" Harry started, but Draco shot him a look.

"Look, Potter, you were there in my time of need and we let our emotions get out of hand. I daresay you don't regret it?"

"No, but -"

"And neither do I. I think we should just put it behind us and concentrate on Scorpius. He's the most important factor here."

Put it behind him? The best shag he'd had in a long, long time (probably ever) and he was just supposed to put it behind him? And he'd gone back to being Potter, he realized darkly.

"Sure, Malfoy, you're right," he forced himself to say pleasantly, and the blond smiled brilliantly at him.

"Great. Can we go and see Scorp now?"

Harry couldn't fault him for how much he loved his son, he thought sullenly, and followed the blond into the Floo.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Scorpis was awake, eyes slightly dimmer than usually, but happy to see them.

"Daddy! Harry!" he said, sitting up. "I'm a little bit better," he said. "The healer said I have to stay here for a week, though," he looked a little put out as he said that.

"I know," Draco said soothingly. "It will pass fast, I promise. I'll visit you everyday."

"You too, Harry?" Scorpius, and there was suddenly a lump in Harry's throat.

"Sure thing, champ," he said softly.

Draco talked with his son for a few minutes, and Harry looked on awkwardly. Eventually, he couldn't take it, and moved away from the bed.

"I better go get ready for my shift," he said. "I still have a lot of paperwork to look over. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Draco frowned slightly, but didn't protest. "You've already done plenty," he said slowly. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around," Harry said tightly, and flew out of the room.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Once he was alone in his office, door locked, he banged his head on his desk several times.

He should have listened to his friends, he realized, and stepped away while he had a chance. Before he got too attached. Now, it seemed, it was too late. Hearing Scorpius ask him to come and visit every day had made his heart swell with love - and then it had rapidly deflated as he glanced at Malfoy.

He needed to put some distance between himself and them, he realized, before Scorpius got even more attached to him. It wasn't healthy for him to be so attached to someone who wasn't his father.

There was a rap on his door, and Healer Samson poked her head in.

"Hey, Harry," she said softly. "I thought I'd come and give you an update on Scorpius Malfoy's condition."

Heart in throat, Harry forced a smile. "Thanks, but you should probably make sure it's okay with his father before you tell me anything."

The Healer looked confused. "But I thought you were together?"

Harry choked. "Uh, no," he said. "We're just ... we went to school together," he finished lamely, and the motherly Healer cocked her head.

"You sure seemed close last night," she said softly, and Harry shook his head quickly.

"You know how it is," he said. "Stress does funny things to someone." Like makes them shag their ex-enemy. "I wanted to make him feel better."

It looked like the Healer was going to say something else, but she just nodded. "Okay. Have a good day, Healer Potter."

Harry hit his head on his desk at least another ten times before he finally got up and got ready to make his rounds.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco paced the hallway as he waited for his mother to arrive. He'd felt like he had no choice but to call her - if she had found out later from Scorpius that he had been sick and she hadn't been informed, she would have had Draco's head in an instant.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she glided effortlessly down the hall. She hugged Draco briefly, and then pulled back and looked at him.

"You look terrible," she informed him. "You need to get some sleep. How is Scorpius?"

Draco mustered up a smile. "Come, let's go and see him."

Scorpius was sitting up in the bed, playing with his dragon, glaring at the tray of hospital food beside his bed.

"Nana!" he said, sitting up eagerly. "I'm sick."

"So I've been informed," she said softly. "And how are you feeling?"

"Better," Scorpius said. "But I miss Harry. I wish he'd stayed longer."

Narcissa tilted her head. "Harry?"

"Harry Potter," Draco confirmed. "He's a Healer here."

"Is he in charge of Scorpius's care?"

"No, but-"

"Daddy owled Harry in the middle of the night and he came over and he told Daddy that I had scarlet fever so they brought me here!" Scorpius informed her. "I love Harry, he's really nice and he brought me to visit the children in his ward and he took us to a cool place that had giant milkshakes and he convinced Daddy to buy my dragon for Christmas!"

"It seems like someone is infatuated with 'Harry'", Narcissa said, staring intently at Draco. "How did this come about?"

Draco sighed and filled his mother in on everything that had gone on in the last month. 

"How come I haven't heard any of this before?"

"I don't know," Draco muttered. "Maybe cause I was afraid you'd make a big deal out of it."

"Draco, of course it's a big deal! Your biggest enemy is seeking out your friendship! This is great."

"Enemy?" Scorpius asked in a small voice, and Draco glared harshly at his mother.

"Harry's not your enemy, is he, Daddy?" Scorpius pleaded. "You like him, tell Nana that."

"Nana has to be going," Draco said with clenched teeth. "We'll talk later, Scorpius."

He pushed his mother down the hall and and stopped just in front of the lift. "Thanks a lot, Mother," he muttered. 

"He would have found out eventually," she countered evenly. "It's probably best he knows the truth before he gets too attached."

_Too late,_ Draco thought darkly. He glared at his mother as she got into the lift, and then glared at the wall for at least another ten minutes before returning down the hall to his son.

Scorpius was waiting for him, staring intently.

"What did Nana mean?"

"You knew Harry and I weren't friends in school," Draco said awkwardly.

"But you didn't tell me you hated each other! Why? What happened? Are you even friends now?"

Draco could tell his son was getting worked up, and he sat down, placing a hand on his leg. "I'll explain everything to you when you get out of the hospital," he offered. "For now, you need to rest and get better."

The blond pouted but nodded, and laid back and closed his eyes.

Draco watched him long past the time it took him to fall asleep.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The next day, Draco was sitting with Scorpius, playing cards, when there was a knock on the door. He looked up and saw Elliot and Katie standing in the doorway. Katie was clutching a small brown bear.

"Hey," Draco said, getting to his feet. "Scorpius, look who's here."

"Katie!"

"Healer Potter told us you were here," Elliot said. "He owled to postpone the dinner because Scorpius was here. I figured we could return the favour and come brighten Scorpius's day. I don't think Katie would have let me live it down if I hadn't brought her, anyway," he said, smiling down at his daughter. "She was looking forward to the dinner."

Draco had all but forgotten about the dinner. The dinner he was supposed to attend with Harry. He wondered if he could beg out of it somehow. And then he sighed, looking down at his son, who was looking at Katie like she was the best thing in the world.

"We'll arrange another date," he said firmly. "I'll talk to Po-Harry, and we'll work something out."

Elliot looked at him curiously. "Are the two of you together?"

Draco coloured instantly. "W-what? No, of course not!"

"Hmmmm. Shame. You seem good for each other."

"He only puts up with me cause he likes Scorpius," Draco mumbled. "We don't even like each other."

Elliot just stared, and then shook his head slightly and muttered something under his breath. He walked past Draco and sat on the edge of Scorpius's bed, discussing the children's toys as if they were the most important thing in the world.

Elliot was also good with kids, Draco mused. It seemed to Draco that everyone was better with kids than he was. The thought frustrated him, and he smothered a growl.

"I'm going to get some water," he said, and exited the room quickly. 

He stalked down the hallway, and was surprised to run into (quite literally) Harry, who was walking down the hall with a box that he recognized as being something from WWW. 

Harry attempted a smile. "Malfoy. I was just going to leave this with the Healers for Scorpius, but maybe you could give it to him, instead?"

Draco frowned. "Can't you give it to him yourself? He'd be glad to see you."

But Harry was shaking his head quickly, eyes shifting slightly. "I'm on duty," he said. "I need to get back to my ward. Just give this to him," he said, and thrust the box in Draco's arms before whirling around and sailing back down the hallway.

Draco sighed, and then turned around, heading back to Scorpius's room. 

His son sat up at the sight of the box, peering past his friend. "What's that?" he asked innocently.

Draco couldn't help but smile a bit. "Oh, just a box that someone left laying around. I think I better give it to the Healers -"

But Scorp was already bouncing on the bed. "It's for me, isn't it? Who's it from? Nana?"

"It's from Harry," Draco said, and Scorpius's face fell a little.

"How come he didn't bring it to me himself? Doesn't he want to see me?"

"He's working," Draco said helplessly, "and he knows you have company. I'm sure he'll be back to see you later."

Scorpius didn't look happy, but he took the box and sat it down on the bedside. "I want to open it when Harry's here," he informed his father. 

_Goddamn you Potter,_ Draco thought darkly. _Why did you have to make my son love you?_


	10. I think we're onto something we can't run from.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DOUBLE DIGITS YAY :)So a huge thanks to all of your input for the male pregnancy ideas. I am still undecided what direction I'm going with this story. There will be more angst, but some cute stuff coming up too, including a chapter with some penguins because I fucking love penguins, lol. Seriously though, thanks for all the comments, you guys are so great! Keep it up, you make me so happy <3

A week had passed and Harry was doing his best to forget about Malfoys for what he hoped would be the last time, when a very angry Draco Malfoy burst into his office.

"Potter!"

Harry jumped out of his chair when the door swung open. "Jesus, Malfoy, don't you know how to knock?"

Draco glared at him. "I'm as good at knocking as you are at keeping your promises!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Scorpius thinks you hate him because you haven't been to see him. He's getting out today, in case you were wondering!" Draco's face was red and he looked like he was ready to strangle Harry.

"I knew that," he muttered. "I've been busy. I've been working double shifts almost all week and sleeping when I wasn't working. If you had even bothered to ask, I'm sure just about anyone in this place could have told you that!"

"You could have made time to see him," Draco insisted. "It's probably a good thing you can't have kids of your own, they'd basically be fatherless anyway."

Harry was shocked into silence.

Draco paled slightly. "Okay, I didn't mean that -"

"You should probably go," Harry said, jaw clenched. "Tell Scorpius - hell, tell him the truth, why don't you? That you're a wanker and an arse and that I was crazy to think you'd changed? You're a good father, Malfoy, but that's the only thing you're good at. You're a shitty friend, a shitty lover, and just a shitty excuse for a person in general. I'm not sorry I met Scorpius, but I am sorry I wasted my time trying to be your friend!"

Draco looked shaken. "Harry -"

Harry stood up and brushed past him, down the hallway, disappearing into a room before Draco even made it into the hallway.

Well, I really fucked that up, Draco thought darkly. Fuck.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"You were right," Harry said as soon as Hermione opened the door. He walked through the small flat and sprawled out on the couch beside Ron. The children were with their grandmother for the day. "You were right about Malfoy. It was too good to last."

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks. "What happened?"

Harry sighed. "He's a wanker," he said sadly. "I hate him."

His friends waited patiently as he stared morosely into the corner. Finally, he turned to them, eyes full of guilt.

"Weshaggedandnoweverythingisfuckedup," he said as quickly as he could. Hermione didn't look surprised, while Ron's eyes widened and almost popped out of their sockets.

"You shagged Malfoy?" Ron exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because I was horny," Harry snapped. "Because he's good looking and I thought he'd changed? Because he'd had the scare of his life with Scorpius and needed comforting? Take your pick." 

"Tell us what happened," Hermione said, and Ron moaned, looking sick. "Not like that Ronald," she retorted. "I mean, what lead up to it."

Harry explained quickly. "He made it seem like it was nothing," he murmured sadly.

"Did you expect it to mean something?" Hermione asked, and Harry shrugged moodily.

"I don't know what I wanted it to mean," he said. "It was good - okay, it was great. I wasn't expecting him to start spurting poetry, or take me home to his mother, or put a ring on my finger, but I expected a little more, at least. It was his first time with another guy! He could trust me enough to let me fuck him senseless, and then let me sleep with him in his bed, but he couldn't even tell what he was thinking the next morning?"

"It's Malfoy, mate," Ron said, looking apologetic. "He's probably used to random one-offs."

Harry just groaned and buried his face into the cushions.

"Maybe you should go and talk to him," Hermione said softly, but Harry shook his head instantly.

"He came to my office yesterday and we had words," Harry muttered. "Didn't end well. I don't want to go over there and get Scorpius's hopes up again for nothing. You were right, 'Mione. It was stupid to get attached to the kid. And it was even more stupid to let him get attached to me." 

Hermione sighed, while Ron got up and headed to the kitchen. He came back with a bottle of wine and some glasses.

He offered Harry a glass while Hermione raised an eyebrow, but Harry simply took the glass and drained it. Anything to forget about blond hair and grey eyes.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Draco paced the kitchen as he waited for the muggles to deliver the pizza he'd just ordered for him and Scorpius.

His child in question was restless, squirming on the chair he was sitting on. His dragon sat beside him on another chair, along with the still unopened box that Harry had given him. He'd refused to open it, waiting for Harry to come over.

"Why didn't you invite Harry to come and have pizza with us?" he asked for the tenth time, and Draco stifled a scream.

"Harry's busy, Scorp," he said evenly.

"But how do you know he's busy? You haven't even asked! You just always say he's busy! I bet he'd make time for us if you just asked!"

"Drop it, Scorp," Draco warned with an edge in his voice. "I'm not going to bother Harry, and that's it."

"It's because of what Nana said, isn't it? He's your enemy, and you were just pretending to get along for me. I'm not a baby, you don't have to hide things from me!"

"You want to know what happened when Harry and I were in school?" Draco spat, spinning around to face his only child. "Do you really want to hear how he almost killed me more than once, and I almost killed him more than once? Do you really want to know how we were on opposite sides of the war? I was working for the man who was trying his best to get Harry killed. I wanted him killed because I hated him! He was so famous, without even trying, and people only were nice to me because they were scared of me! I did bad things, Scorpius. I tried to kill people - innocent people. Harry tried to save them all. And he saved me, too, when I almost died in the war. He saves people, that's his thing. He saves people and I destroy them."

Tears blinded Draco's eyes and he spun around, walking into the living room. 

Draco heard the small footsteps follow him into the room, and Scorpius tugged on his sleeve.

"Why didn't you go to jail?"

"Harry told the judge that I wasn't a bad person. I saved his life once - I didn't turn him over to the bad man. And Nana saved him, too, so I guess he thought we shouldn't go to jail."

"He can't hate you then," Scorpius said with childish logic. "Why can't you just be friends?"

"It's not that easy," Draco muttered, and Scorpius glared at him.

"Yes, it is," he argued. "Tell him you want to be his friend."

"We got into a fight again," Draco said. "He doesn't want to be my friend."

"I bet he does. He just doesn't know what to say to you because he doesn't want you to yell at him."

"I don't yell," Draco muttered darkly. "Just drop it, Scorpius."

"I will not," the little blond said determinedly. "I miss my Harry!"

"He's not YOUR Harry," Draco snapped. "He didn't even visit you while you were in the hospital."

"I forgive him," he said simply. "He was busy. But he's probably not busy now and -"

"I am not calling him," Draco growled. "Go to your room until the pizza gets here."

Scorpius glared at him. "You're mean," he yelled as he stormed down the hallway to his room. "No wonder you have no friends."

Draco dropped his head into his hands and cursed the day life dropped Harry Potter back into his life.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The next evening, Harry got a friendly owl from Elliot Symington, asking about the dinner they were supposed to have with Draco and Scorpius. Harry smacked his head on the desk for a brief minute (maybe if he hit his head enough times he'd get amnesia and forget these last few weeks) , and then got up and firecalled Draco's home.

Scorpius answered the call. "Malfoy Residence," he said formally.

"Hey, Scorpius," Harry said, waving at the blond through the fire. "Is your dad around?"

"He's in the shower," Scorpius said. "He told me not to answer the Floo but he's a meanie and I don't like him anymore. Can't you come see me, Harry? I miss you!"

"If he told you something, Scorp, it's probably for a good reason," Harry said, and the blond's eyes dropped. "I'm at work right now, but I need to ask your dad something. You can tell him to call me back -"

"He's out!" Scorpius said. "I just heard the door open. Daddy, Harry's on the Floo."

Draco walked into the room, and Harry's chest tightened at the sight of the blond wearing a pair of grey sweats. His chest gleamed with droplets of water and his hair was standing up in many directions. 

"Potter," he said, "What can I do for you?"

"His name is Harry," Scorpius glared at his father. "Harry."

Draco clenched his teeth. "Harry," he tried again. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Elliot just owled me about the dinner we're all supposed to go to," Harry said. "I wanted to know what I should say?"

Draco looked at his son. "Do you still want to go?"

"Yeah!" Scorpius said excitedly, but then looked at Harry. "Only if Harry goes."

Draco looked at him. "If it's not too much of a bother, of course," he said politely.

"It's fine, I had already cleared my schedule for that night," he said. "I'll tell him we'll be there. It's Friday at six. If you would like, you can meet me here and we can apparate together from downstairs. I have his address."

"Very well," Draco said. "Scorpius, it's time for your bath. Say goodnight to Harry."

"Night, Harry," he said. "See you Friday!"

"See you Friday," Harry echoed, and closed the connection.


	11. What sober couldn't say.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola amigos :) I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. Right now it is storming out and my roommates aren't home so I am distracting myself with loud music and fluffy fanfics and that reminded me that I needed to update my own.   
> Yay they've made up! For now, hahahaha. What a pair, them two. I have a weakness for drunk, overly emotional Draco ((probably cause I can relate because that's how I am when I get drunk)) but yeah, I like this chapter a lot. Next chapter, though, is even better, because PENGUINS :) And more Scorpius cuteness that will melt your heart. Who's excited?? :)  
> Comments will make my day <3

The doorbell to Harry's flat rang at 5:45 on Friday night. He forced himself to wait a few seconds before moving towards the door: he'd been ready and waiting for the last fifteen minutes, nerves eating away at the insides of his stomach and making him very irritable.

But the irritability melted away the second he opened the door and Scorpius launched himself into his arms.

"I missed you, Harry," he said, nuzzling into his neck. "Don't stay away so long next time."

Waves of guilt immediately washed over him as he hugged the little blond. "I'm sorry," he said softly, and the grey eyes lit up instantly.

"It's okay," Scorpius said contentedly, showing no signs of wanting to be put down. 

Harry finally looked at Draco, who was staring at the pair with an unreadable expression on his face. 

"Hello," he said, inclining his head slightly in the older blond's direction.

"Hello," he echoed, looking distracted. "Nice flat."

Harry loved his flat - he'd put a lot of thought into decorating and furniture and kept it pretty clean most of the time. He couldn't tell if Draco really liked it or if he was just being the awkward kind of polite that leaves one grasping at the straws of social normality.

"You only like it cause there's some green things," he said finally, in a light, teasing voice, hoping for even a ghost of a smile from the other man. He wasn't disappointed.

"Green things," he smirked, the arrogant expression familiar, and for once almost welcome. "Things. Very articulate, Potter."

Scorpius glared at his father. "Harry."

Draco sighed. "Look, Scorp, -"

"I want you to call him Harry!" the little blond whined. "Why won't you call him Harry?"

"We've always called each other Potter and Malfoy," Harry explained gently. "They're almost like our nicknames for each other. When your dad calls me Potter, it's because I've annoyed with some silly little thing, and the same if I call him Malfoy. It's friendly. It's - teasing, messing around. It's not anything bad, I promise."

Scorpius didn't look too convinced but he nodded and wiggled out of Harry's arms. He rummaged around in a bag that Harry hadn't even noticed at Draco's feet and pulled out a beautiful red rose.

"I brought Katie a rose," he announced. "D-do you think she'll like it?"

Harry smiled, heart melting at the simple innocence. "I think she'll love it." He glanced at Draco. "Are you two ready to get going?"

"I have to pee," Scorpius said. "I don't like the apparating thing, it makes my stomach feel weird and then I have to pee. Where's the washroom?"

Harry pointed at a door down the hall and watched the little boy skip down the hall.

"He's really looking forward to this," Harry said softly, and Draco nodded.

"Thank you for coming," he said slowly. "I don't think he ever would have forgave me if you didn't come. I, uh, I told him about our past," he said awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "He thinks that we should be friends anyway."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Harry asked softly, and Draco looked away.

"I don't know," he answered, and before Harry could say anything, Scorpius came scurrying down the hallway, smiling brightly.

"Ready!"

Harry slipped into his jacket and picked up the child. He held out a hand to Draco, who took it, soft fingers wrapping around Harry's tightly. The threesome landed just outside a pretty little house in Manchester. They walked up the driveway together, Scorpius babbling excitedly, leaving the two adults with their brooding thoughts.

Elliot opened the door before they'd even gotten to it.

"Katie's been watching from the window," he said, winking at his daughter, who flushed. "I'm glad you guys could make it!"

Scorpius presented Katie with his rose, and it was the cutest thing ever. She squealed and hugged him and then pulled away, looking embarrassed, while Scorpius's little face turned pink. She held out her hand shyly and pulled him into the living room where a slightly older boy was playing with some toys.

"That's my son, Gideon," Elliot said, gesturing. "He's seven. My other two, Drew and Samara, are both are Hogwarts. First year and third years. Slytherins, both of them. Not sure how that happened, honestly, but I'm fine with it," he said, winking at Draco. "Not all Slytherins are bad. Bet your Scorpius is going to be a fine Slytherin one day."

Draco grinned. "I wouldn't mind him being a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, either," he said. "Just not Gryffindor."

"What's wrong with Gryffindor?" said the black haired woman that appeared in the doorway. 

Elliot smiled and stared at his wife. It was obvious they were still so in love, even though it'd been more than fifteen years they had been together. They reminded Harry of Molly and Arthur Weasley - the relaxed, homey atmosphere of the house just added to the comparison even more.

"This is my wife, Penelope," Elliot grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Gryffindor extraordinaire. Penny, you remember Harry, and this is Draco Malfoy, Scorpius's father."

"A pleasure," Draco said, nodding his head at the pretty woman. "And assure you, I have nothing against Gryffindors in general - just this one," he said, elbowing Harry gently in the side with a cocky smile. Harry was always amazed by how charming Draco could be when he wanted to be.

"It's nice to see you outside of a hospital setting," Harry added, friendly smile on his face. "I take it cursed books are not on the menu tonight?"

The pair laughed and assured them that the menu was a perfectly harmless stew. They headed into the kitchen where Harry and Draco accepted tall glasses of wine from the other two. It was strange, dining with a couple who wasn't Ron and Hermione, or Dean and Seamus, or Neville and Hannah. Maybe Draco wasn't the only one who could use a little breaking out of his shell, Harry mused. Hm.

********

The meal was delicious, and by eight o'clock, the children were sleepy on the couch with hot chocolate.

"We should probably get going soon," Draco said, eyeing his son, who was pretending to be wide awake.

"No," Scorpius protested. "Not yet."

"If you get any sleepier, you'll be using your hot chocolate as a pillow," Draco said reasonably, and Scorpius pouted.

"Why don't you let Scorpius stay over?" Elliot offered. "We can lend him some pyjamas, and we've got plenty of empty beds with the other two gone. I can make use a pancake breakfast in the morning and bring him home whenever you want."

Draco considered it. "Well ..."

"Please, Daddy! Please!"Scorpius said, bouncing onto his feet. "I want to stay!"

"All right," Draco sighed. "But you better be good."

"I will be!" he said. "I promise, I promise!" 

Draco looked at Harry. "I guess we'll be taking our leave," he said slowly.

"You're welcome to stay longer," Penelope offered, but Harry was shaking his head.

"It's my day off tomorrow, and I promised my godson and goddaughter that I'd take them to the zoo. I need to get all the rest I can get," he said, laughing slightly. 

"How old are your godchildren?" Penelope asked curiously.

"Three and five," he answered. "Rosie and Hugo, they're Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's children."

"I know Hermione," Penelope grinned. "Feisty woman, she's good at what she does."

"She is," Harry said, grinning right back. He glanced at Draco. "Ready?"

"Yes," he said, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to Penelope. "Thank you for having us."

"You're always welcome," she said. "Scorpius, too."

They said their goodbyes to Elliot and the children, and walked out the door together. It was a chilly night, and Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. He was really good at forgetting his gloves, damn it.

Draco looked back at the house several times as they walked down the long driveway, and Harry finally put a hand on his arm.

"He'll be fine," he said softly.

Draco shook his hand off quickly. "I know."

They reached the end of the road and turned to look at each other. They stared for a few long moments before Draco finally looked away, kicking a rock on the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said in a rush, his voice odd. "I said horrible things to you the other day after you've been nothing but an angel for Scorpius and it was a pathetic attempt to hurt you and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Harry said softly, and Draco looked at him with tears in his eyes.

"No, it's not! It's not okay! Things aren't just okay cause you say they are! I'm a horrible person, and you can't make that okay!" 

Harry was startled by the raw emotion in Draco's voice.

"This isn't just about the other day, is it?" he said awkwardly.

Draco shook his head, grey eyes glassy. "I - when I told Scorpius about the P-Potter and M-Malfoy from Hogwarts, I realized how horrible of a person I had been all along. The Death Eater years can maybe be explained by V-Voldemort, but that doesn't change how much of an arse I was to you and yours the rest of the time."

Harry didn't know what to say.

Draco turned away, wobbling slightly. He'd had more wine than Harry had, Harry realized.

"You don't want to be my friend," he said brokenly. "I told Scorpius you didn't want to be - you never wanted to be."

Harry grabbed the blond before he could stumble into the ravine. "I'm not going to lie to you, Draco," he said evenly. "I did not want to be your friend in school. You were horrible - a slimy, judgemental little git who thought he was better than everyone, and that Draco Malfoy infuriated me to no end." 

"I wouldn't have wanted to be my friend, either," he mumbled, and Harry tugged on his arm, forcing him to look at him.

"You're not that person anymore," he said. "I like this Draco."

"Yo-you do?"

"When you're not taking your anger out on me for stupid things, yes," Harry said, amused, even though his heart was racing. "I've been trying to tell you that for quite some time."

"'m sorry," Draco mumbled. "I'm just scared - I'm a coward," he said sadly. "You even said so."

Harry frowned a little at that. "You're not a coward," he said fiercely. 

They continued walking up the road, Harry holding Draco's arm. He wasn't sure if the blond could manage to apparate home on his own in the state he was currently in, but didn't want to fracture the fragile friendship by asking him.

Draco tripped over a rock and Harry caught him easily, and the blond smiled.

"You and your saving people thing," he slurred. "A real hero."

Harry made up his mind and pulled the tipsy man against his chest and apparated them into Draco's bedroom without a second thought. He half expected to feel the wards resist him, or hear some kind of alarm go off, but nothing happened.

"Don't you have wards?" he said, half to himself, and the blond grinned.

"They're adjusted to let you in," he said sleepily. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"Get some sleep, Draco," Harry said, tipping him into the bed. "You need it."

"Can I come to the zoo with you tomorrow?" he asked suddenly. "I can collect Scorpius and Katie and meet you at the Weasel's house - Weasley, sorry, hard to change sometimes, he's still so irritating - anyway, I can meet you there with the children and play nice to them and we can go?"

Harry had a fierce desire to laugh, but didn't think Draco would appreciate it. 

"See how you feel when you wake up," he suggested reasonably. "Owl me if you want to come."

"Okay," he agreed. "Night, Harry."

"Night, Draco."


	12. Steal my heart tonight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really excited to post this chapter; not really sure why but I guess it's just super cute, in my opinion, and has penguins and Ron and Hermione and Scorpius being so cute it's heartbreaking (as always) but yeah comments would be AMAZING, if you want to, no pressure or anything. Cheers xxx

Harry was just putting his dishes away when the Floo roared to life. He leaned into the doorway and grinned at Ron and Hermione and the two tiny redheads that were talking excitedly about different kinds of animals that they would see today.

"Hey, mate," Ron said, yawning. "The demons woke us up at the crack of dawn today; they're pretty excited to be spending the day with you."

"We told them the zoo doesn't open until ten, but they wanted to come over anyway," Hermione added. "I hope you don't mind."

Harry shook his head and scooped up his godchildren and carried them into the living room, settling them onto the chairs and giving them crayons and paper to draw with, telling them to draw pictures of the animals they were most excited to see. They grabbed a crayon each and started scribbling busily.

"How was your dinner last night?" Hermione asked. 

"Interesting," Harry said honestly. "Elliot and Penelope remind me of your parents," he said, looking at Ron. "The same warm, homey atmosphere that your parents' house always had, and they're still crazy about each other even though they've been together for years. Not to mention they have rule breaking kids," he grinned. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Rule breaking runs in the Weasley family, that's for sure."

"As if you weren't a rule breaker, 'Mione," Ron grinned. "You were the best rule breaker at Hogwarts - crazy enough to go along with the ideas Harry and I had, and clever enough to help us figure out how to do it without getting caught."

She stuck her tongue out at her husband and rolled her eyes again. "You're right, I'm clever; that's why it's going to be impossible for the kids to pull a fast one on me."

"We'll see about that," he disagreed, and Harry smiled at the exchange. The two really were perfect for each other.

"How were Draco and Scorpius?" Hermione asked, getting to the topic she deemed most important. 

"Good," Harry said dismissively, remembering Draco's drunken ramblings. He wondered how the blond felt about that this morning. Providing he was even awake at this hour. He could only imagine him laying in bed, moaning about how his head hurt - "Scorpius stayed over at Katie's last night."

"That's great," Hermione said, smiling in approval. "I'm glad."

The doorbell rang just then, and Harry got up, thoughts automatically going to Draco.

And sure enough, the blond was standing on the other side of the door, two grinning children holding either of his hands. Scorpius threw his arms around Harry's legs eagerly.

"I missed you, Harry," he said. "But I had fun at the sleepover!"

Draco looked nervous. "I hope you don't mind -" he began uncertainly.

"Of course not," Harry said, insides flipping a little at the thought of spending the day with the blond. "It'll be fun - come in, Ron and Hermione and the kids are here already."

Katie and Scorpius led the way back down the narrow hallway and into the living room. They stopped when they saw the two redheads colouring at the table in the next room over. And then they eyed the older witch and wizard, who were staring at them. Scorpius slunk back, hiding behind Draco's legs.

"They're not gonna like me," he whispered to his father. "I wanna go home."

Katie hung back, too, following her best friend's lead, but she eyed Rosie, who'd appeared in the doorway, with interest.

"Why wouldn't they like you?" Draco asked, squatting down to look at his child. "You're nice and polite and fun to be around. Katie likes you, doesn't she?"

Scorpius buried his face in his father's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "I brought Katie stuff, so she has to like me," he said. "I don't have anything for these kids and they're not going to want to be my friend because I'm not good enough."

Draco's heart squeezed. He pulled his son away from him and held him by his shoulders, looking into his eyes. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you are good enough and anyone would be honored to be your friend. You don't need to buy people's friendship by giving them things."

"But I like giving people things," he said sadly. "It makes me happy."

"There's a difference between giving your friends things, and giving things to make people be your friend. Come on, now, come and say hello."

Scorpius glared at his father. "Do these people even like you? They don't look very happy to see you. You shouldn't be telling me how to make friends when you don't even have any."

Draco's face turned an unhealthy shade of pink and he was saved from answering by Harry, who nudged Scorpius into the living room and smiled softly and encouragingly at him.

"Rosie, Hugo, this is Scorpius, and this is Katie. They're going to be coming to the zoo with us today."

Rosie smiled eagerly and scampered forward to say hello to her new playmates, while Hugo stayed back and glanced at the newcomers with wide eyes. He decided after a minute that if his sister was talking to them, they must be okay, so he moved forward slowly and smiled at Scorpius. It would be nice to have a boy to play with, he decided, his three year old mind working overtime. Boys were more fun.

The tension in Draco's shoulders eased a little as he watched the little Weasley girl work hard to make Scorpius feel wanted. It was only minutes before the four headed back to the kitchen table, where more paper and crayons were passed around to be drawn on. He heaved a sigh of relief and then turned and faced the three adults.

"Granger, Weasley," he said pleasantly, nodding at them. "I hope you're well."

Hermione answered first. "Very well, Draco. Scorpius looks a lot like you."

Draco flushed again, but this time with pride. "He does," he said softly. "He's worth a million of me, though."

"You're good with him," Ron said awkwardly, and Draco nodded at him, surprised by the compliment. 

"Your kids are cute," he said. "I bet they're going to be little troublemakers - Weasley jokesters with the cleverness to not get caught."

The trio actually laughed, and Harry grinned at him. Draco felt warm all of a sudden. "We were actually just talking about that earlier," Harry said. "So how are you feeling, Draco?"

Draco cocked an eyebrow and grinned slyly. "Working with potions has it's advantages, Potter," he said cockily. 

The other pair exchanged looks but didn't comment, and the clock chimed nine times, startling all of them. Hermione got to her feet quickly.

"We better get going, Ron, your mum will be expecting us any time now," she said. She glanced at Harry. "Thanks again for taking the kids, Harry. I'm not sure what's going on, but Molly insisted all of her children be there today for breakfast. I'm assuming she has some kind of announcement to make."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Dad convinced her to swap everything in the house for modern Muggle appliances," Ron laughed. "But really, thanks, mate. Hope they won't give you a hard time."

"I'm sure they'll be great," Harry said. "We can handle them, right, Draco?"

The blond nodded, startled slightly. "Yeah, sure."

Ron held out a hand to him. "Nice seeing you, Malfoy," he said politely, but sounding almost like he meant it. "Take care."

"You, too," he said, shaking the offered hand. "You as well, Granger."

"It's Hermione," she said, and smiled brightly at him. After a quick goodbye hug to each of their children, they were out the door, leaving Harry and Draco standing awkwardly beside each other.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Harry asked, and the blond glared at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You were obviously nervous, Draco, I could feel the nerves rolling off of you in waves," he said. "They have nothing against you, you know. They meant it when they said they forgave you."

Draco couldn't keep up his hostile attitude, so he let it deflate quickly. "I'm glad," he said softly. "Scorpius is right, I don't really have many friends these days."

"You have me," Harry said, wrapping an arm around the blond's waist before he could move away. Draco stiffened slightly, but then relaxed, leaning against Harry comfortably as they watched the children colouring.

"I'm glad."

*****************************************************************

Penguins, Harry decided, were both his favourite and least favourite animal at the zoo. The children were enchanted by the small black and white birds, and this was at least the third time they'd come through this particular exhibit. Katie and Scorpius had their noses pressed to the glass, getting as close as they possibly could to the little birds. Hugo and Rosie hung back a little, but were still enthralled nonetheless, eyes bright as they watched the animals slide down icy slopes and dive into the water.

Harry's focus was on a pair of penguins off to the side. They were standing close together, looking like they were talking to one another, while they watched a small ball of fluff play on the ice. Mother, father, and child, he thought forlornly.

"This breed of penguin mates for life, you know,"he informed Draco as the blond appeared beside him. "If they can't produce their own offspring, they'll 'adopt' other offspring from penguins that can't provide for them."

"I didn't realize you were such a penguin expert," Draco said, glancing at his former enemy. His eyes were slightly glossy, and he looked worn out completely. "What's wrong, Potter? There's more on your mind than the mating habits of penguins."

Harry sighed. "I don't think Molly Weasley has an announcement to make at all. I think Ginny does. I think she's pregnant." 

He sounded so lost and heartbroken that Draco couldn't help but lace his fingers through his. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"No," Harry said venomously. "Not after how she treated me. But I still wish - I still wish it'd worked out between us. The Weasleys are the only family I've ever known - and they were supportive throughout the breakup, tried to talk some sense into Ginny. But now she's giving them the one thing I can't and I know Molly will be over the moon - her baby girl, having a baby."

"Oh, Harry," the blond sighed softly, pulling the dark haired man against him, not knowing how else to comfort him.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Draco looked around suddenly. "Where's Scorpius?"

The other three children were still huddled against the window, but the little blond head was nowhere to be seen. The zoo was quite crowded today, and Draco's heartbeat sped up, threatening to send his heart exploding out of his chest.

"Where's Scorpius?" Harry asked the other three children, and they shrugged.

"He was just here," Katie said. "Where do you think he went?"

Harry didn't want to worry the children, so he smiled brightly. "I'm sure he just went down a bit further," he said. "Stay here with Draco - I'll go get him. It's time for us to get going, Rosie and Hugo need to go to their grandmothers."

Draco looked at him with wide grey eyes. "Harry -"

"Stay here," he ordered, soft but firm. "Watch the other children. He can't be far. If you go, you'll just panic."

Harry walked quickly down the cement floor, keeping an eye out for any flash of blond hair. He believed what he'd told Draco. Scorpius couldn't have gone far, unless - he squashed any ideas of the 'unless' and walked quicker, forcing himself to remain calm. It was like he'd told Draco - panicking wouldn't do any good.

Finally, he saw a flash of blond hair and a green sweater, being pulled the opposite way from Harry. He broke into a run.

"Scorpius!"

"Harry!" The little boy broke free of the woman that was holding him. Tears were streaming down his face. "Harry, I was so scared -"

The flustered woman appeared beside him. "Is he yours?" she asked, eyes soft.

He nodded, holding the little blond close.

"He was over there, crying and asking for his daddy," she said hurriedly. "I was bringing him to the lost and found tent. These are my children," she added, motioning to the two brunettes glued to her side. "I didn't mean to scare him, I assure you I meant no harm."

"Thank you," he said softly. "I don't know how he managed to slip off."

"It happens so quick," she said, no evident judgement in her voice. "It happened to me once, in a busy shopping centre."

"Thank you again," he said, and she turned away, leading her children down the walkway.

Scorpius pulled away from Harry slightly. His grey eyes were tinged in red and he looked terribly frightened.

"What happened?"

"I didn't mean to go far," he rushed, eyes pleading Harry to believe him. "I just moved over a tiny bit to look at the baby penguin and then some big kids ran by and pushed me and I couldn't get away and then when I did I didn't see you or Daddy no more and I started crying and the lady found me - she was trying to help me, wasn't she?"

"She was," Harry said softly, "but not everyone is nice like her. It's very important to stay together - next time, make Rosie or Katie move over with you. Bigs kids won't be mean to you if you're with someone else."

"A-am I in trouble?" he hiccuped, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Harry glanced around and quietly cast a spell that dried the little boy's face. "No. Come on, your daddy's really worried."

They walked back together, hand in hand, and as soon as Draco came into sight, Scorpius pulled away from Harry and launched himself into his arms, sniffling again. Harry walked over slowly, giving the father and son time to talk before he reached them. Scorpius was laying with his head on Draco's shoulder.

"Harry saved me," he murmured as soon as Harry walked up to them. "Harry always saves me."

Harry flushed. "I, uh -"

"Thank you," Draco said. "I'm glad you were here. I don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"You would have been just fine," he said awkwardly. "You're a great dad."

"So are you," Scorpius's sleepy voice informed them as his eyes closed, weary from all of his crying. "I want you to be my other daddy - I love you, Harry."

Before Harry or Draco could answer, the little boy was fast asleep.


	13. Round and round each time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that my updating has been rather erratic - my hours at work are shit and I'm too tired to do anything but sleep most of the time and when I do have waking moments, I have become a slave to the TV show Once Upon A Time - I'm on season 4 now and it's just so afjfhwoiewt. Anyone else watch it??  
>  **Anyway, a warning for this chapter - it contains very mean words against Ginny, something I know I mentioned in previous warnings. If you don't like it, feel free to skip it, it is only this one part, Ginny and Harry end up as friends later on, it just fits with everything else I've been doing. Please don't say I didn't warn you - if you ignore my warnings and read it, please don't complain, I don't want to hear it. Feel free to stop reading at anytime if you don't like it.**  
>  The second part of the chapter is much nicer and had drunk Harry having love problems, oh my. Comments are always great, you guys are always great.  
> Also - question: what are your top Drarry fics??? I'm forever on the lookout for ones I haven't read. My top one are Secrets, Eclipse, Twist Of Fate, Mental, The Secret's In The Telling, and Stop The Clocks (This Is The Last Time I'm Leaving Without You). THE LAST ONE IS SO SAD I CRIED FOR DAYS, and with Twist Of Fate too. I'm a sucker for major angst, tbh.

Scorpius was still sleeping when the small group apparated in front of Molly Weasley's door. Harry studied the Burrow, much like he always did whenever he visited. It didn't happen much anymore; while the home itself hadn't changed much, so many things in Harry's life had and it didn't feel as much like coming home as it once did.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked Draco. "I won't be long, it'll probably be easier than waiting outside in the cold."

But the blond shook his head. "Actually, I have a favour to ask you," he confessed. "I think the best thing for me to do would be to bring Scorpius home and put him in his bed. Can you bring Katie home?"

Harry nodded, but was frowning slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. He's had enough excitement for one day, I reckon."

Harry couldn't really argue with him there. "Okay." He stood there awkwardly. "Well, I'll see you around, I guess."

Draco opened his mouth to say something; the door to the Burrow opened at the same time. 

"I thought I heard someone apparate onto the steps," Molly Weasley said happily. "Harry dear, you look wonderful as always. We don't see you enough! Come on, bring my grandchildren inside. I made pies." She noticed the other little girl at Harry's side. "Hello, sweetheart, I'm Mrs.Weasley. Do you like pie?"

Harry smiled at the motherly woman's ramblings; the one thing he regretted the most about his breakup with Ginny was the pain that it had caused the redhaired woman standing in front of him.

"Go on," he encouraged Katie, who was looking hesitant while Rosie and Hugo raced into the house. "I'll be inside in a minute."

Draco shifted Scorpius onto his other shoulder as Mrs.Weasley caught his gaze. "There's no need to leave, Mr.Malfoy," she said slowly. "Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine."

"It's Draco," he murmured politely. "Thank you, Mrs.Weasley, but Scorpius has had a trying day. I would much rather get home. Please give my greetings to everyone."

The older woman nodded and the two blonds disappeared with a crack. Harry stared longingly at the spot that they had occupied until Mrs.Weasley cleared her throat, and even then he looked slightly dejected as he followed her into the house. She pretended not to notice his faked enthusiasm as she cut him a slice of pie, and soon enough the room was filled with three childrens' tales of the zoo.

Harry's eyes had found Ginny instantly, as she leaned against the counter, an arm curved protectively around her stomach as she watched everyone. Rosie did most of the talking, with Katie putting in a few words every now and then. Hugo watched, hugging Hermione's leg as he always did whenever there was more than a few people in the room.

"And then Scorpius got lost because big boys pushed him and Uncle Harry had to find him and -"

Ginny sniffed. "I can't believe you went to the zoo with Malfoy and his son," she said haughtily. "No child of mine will ever be hanging around them."

The room went silent.

"What's wrong with Scorpius?" Rosie asked, eyes flashing. "He's nice!"

"Yeah, now," Ginny muttered, still not realizing that it might be time for her to shut her mouth. "When he becomes an ar- evil like his father, don't come crying to me."

"I like Draco," came a quiet voice from somewhere near ground level. Everyone looked at Hugo, who was glaring with all the force of an angered 3 year old. "You're mean."

Ginny whirled and glared at Harry. "I knew this would happen! He's brainwashing them!"

"He is not, Gin," Harry said. "He's a good person now. People can change! Ask Ron and Hermione, they didn't have any problems with him."

"Just because they're gullible enough to be taken in by his act, doesn't mean I am!"

Ron's eyes flashed at this. "Ginny, what the fuck is your -"

"STOP!" 

Katie was clenching her fists. "Scorpius and Draco are nice! They gave me toys when I was in the hospital and they came for dinner and Scorpius stayed over and helped my dad make pancakes. They're really nice and you wouldn't know nice if it bit you because you're a bitch! I don't even know you and I HATE you." She turned and fled from the room, followed by Rosie and Hugo.

Ron's eyes were murderous as he looked at his sister, who was shaking now. "Way to go, Gin," he muttered, brushing past his sister and following his children out the door. Hermione didn't say a word but her silence spoke volumes as she followed, too.

George shook his head sadly as his sister. "And you think you're ready to have a baby. Good luck, Gin, you're gonna need it." 

One by one, everyone filed out of the room, until Harry was left alone with the girl who was once the love of his life. She looked at his, eyes watery.

"I didn't mean -"

"It's fine," he stated softly. "And by the way, Ginny, congratulations. You're finally getting the baby you've always wanted. About time, don't you think?"

She stared at him. "Wha-"

"Were none of the other men you dated good enough?" He continued like he hadn't heard her. "I understand they weren't the Chosen One, but they couldn't have all been that bad. I even liked one of them, what was his name? The dark haired one, with the green eyes. Oh wait ... that sounds a lot like of all of them. Trying to replace me, Gin? You wouldn't have had to, if you'd just stayed with me."

"Harry-"

"Yes, Harry, that's right. Harry. Harry Potter. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? Harry Potter, and Harry Potter's children?"

"That was never what I wanted," she whispered, eyes wide. "I love you, Harry, I always have. Take me back, we can have this baby and raise it like our own -"

"I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it. "I don't want to hurt you, but I don't want you, Gin. Not anymore."

He walked to the door, and then turned, looking back at the redhead, who now had tears streaming down her face. His heart broke a little as he watched her, remembering the girl he had loved, remembering the woman she'd grown into, and then looked at the woman she'd become.

"Goodbye, Ginny."

******************************************

"Long day?" Elliot asked the second he opened the door to Harry's knock. "You look burnt out, mate, I hope Katie wasn't any trouble."

He smiled down at the little brunette standing peacefully beside him. "None at all," he said. "She's an angel."

Elliot rolled his eyes as his daughter passed him, grinning merrily. "When she wants to be. Fancy a drink?"

Harry debated it for a minute, and then nodded. "Sure. Got anything strong? I think I need it."

****************************************

Three hours later, Harry flopped onto the couch, burying his head into the soft cushions. He'd spent the last few hours getting steadily drunker, telling his newest friend everything that had happened in the last few hours - from Scorpius's disappearance to his daughter rightly calling Ginny Weasley a bitch. He was getting sleepy now, and couldn't stop thinking about a certain irritating blond.

"Love sucks," he whined, and Elliot laughed from somewhere beside him.

"Are you sure you're ready to talk about it?" the man joked. "I think I still have another bottle of Firewhiskey somewhere -"

"No more," Harry moaned, wrapping his hands around his head. "I'll talk now, I promise."

He struggled to a sitting position. "You got me drunk so I would tell you what was wrong," he muttered. "How Slytherin of you. Draco'd be proud."

"This is about the twentieth time you've mentioned Draco in the last hour," Elliot remarked. "What are you, in love with him or something?"

He was met with silence.

"Oh," he said, more to himself than anything. "Oh."

"I don't know if I'm in love with him," Harry rushed to say, "but I'm wildly attracted to him and I want to protect him from everything bad in the world and give him things that will make him smile and -"

"I get it," Elliot murmured, and he did, because he felt the same way about his wife. It was love, all right, but he didn't think Harry wanted to hear that right now. It would be better to let him figure things out for himself.

"And how does Draco feel about you?"

"He doesn't want me," Harry said sadly. "If he did, he wouldn't have made it seem like nothing when we slept together."

And then Harry's eyes widened. "I shouldn't have told you that," he mumbled drunkenly. "I should probaby go home."

Harry got to his feet unsteadily. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I feel like a schoolgirl."

"You're not a child because you like someone, Harry," Elliot said seriously. "Just give it some time, okay? You're not the only one with a tricky past, and you're not the only one who has been hurt before, or who can be hurt again."

"I should talk to him," Harry decided, leaning against his friend. "I'm being stupid."

"It happens to all of us," the other man smiled. "Can you make it home through the Floo okay?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks, mate."

Harry disappeared and barely a second later Penelope appeared in the doorway.

"I'm glad things were never that hard for us," she said softly. "We got lucky."

He smiled at her, eyes bright with love. "We did," he said, kissing her softly. She curled up beside him as he pulled out parchment and quill, fully intending to write a letter to a certain Ginny Weasley, but quickly forgetting about it as his beautiful wife wrapped her arms around him.


	14. Let me know that it's not all in my mind.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an asshole for waiting two weeks to update but I'm having such writer's block right now and I only have a few prewritten chapters left ((and only a few more to write)) so I'm trying to draw it out slowly? I have ideas for new fics too but I'm just too tired and too busy to do anything but make them up in my head while I'm working. Ugh. ANYWAY enough complaining, thank you for all the lovely comments, enjoy this chapter xo

Harry nibbled at the end of his quill, failing to notice that he was getting ink stains on his skin. He was filling out standard paperwork, something he could do in his sleep, but his heart wasn't in it right then and nothing he did could make his focus. He sighed, pushing away from his desk and grabbing his cloak.

"I'm heading out for the night," he announced to the matronly secretary. 

She smiled at his, shaking her head. "Your shift was over almost two hours ago, Healer," she scolded. "It's Saturday night, you should be out with other witches and wizards your age. You're unattached, go and have some fun."

Harry strode down the hallway. "I think my secretary just hinted that I need to get laid," he muttered to himself.

Maybe it wasn't a bad idea, he mused. He hadn't heard from Draco in over a week - the blond was keeping his distance after the incident with Scorpius, and Harry didn't blame him. He knew all too well how easy it was for children to get hurt, even unintentionally. Putting some space between himself and the Malfoys was for the best - even if it hurt like hell.

Harry started listing possible clubs in his head as he walked through the entrance and into the chilly night. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and didn't realize there was someone walking briskly his way until they collided rather violently. Harry ended up on his back, with the other person on top of him. He recognized the blond hair, and sighed resignedly.

"If you wanted me on my back, Draco, you just had to ask," he couldn't resist saying as the blond got to his feet quickly. He held out a hand to Harry and helped him up, brushing off his robes with a pale hand.

"I was actually coming to see you, Potter," he stated, ignoring Harry's jab, and Harry cringed at how easy it was for him to become Potter again.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked. Maybe Scorpius wasn't feeling well again.

"I," Draco started, and then stopped. "Potter, would you like to come out and have a drink with me? I could use a friend."

Harry was surprised. "Sure. I was actually planning on going out, anyway. Anywhere particular?"

"Somewhere we can talk," the blond muttered, and then grabbed Harry's arm and apparated them outside a small, unfamiliar building.

"A little warning would have been nice," Harry said, but his reply was said to thin air. Draco was already heading for the door of the small pub (or so the sign read), and he really had no choice but to follow the blond or be left outside like a fool in a town that he didn't even recognize.

Draco headed for a booth in the farthest corner, and sat down, sighing as Harry slid opposite of him.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, but Draco shook his head as a waitress appeared before them. He ordered the two drinks, and was completely silent until they appeared in front of them. Watching Draco pay, he realized it was a Muggle place. He wasn't even surprised.

"Draco?" he finally prompted after another few seconds of silence.

"Astoria's coming to visit," he said finally. "She owled me this morning."

"Oh." Harry searched for the right words to say. He finally settled on a harmless question. "Does Scorpius know?"

"He's ecstatic," Draco admitted sadly. "I mean, she is his mother."

And it clicked into place, why Draco seemed so miserable. "He's not going to choose her over you, Draco," he said softly. "He loves you."

"And he loves you," the blond retorted. "And I've no doubt he loves his mother. What makes his love for me any different than what he feels for either of you? He's a child, he loves anyone who shows him attention."

"He knows the difference. You've always been there for him. You feed him, you bathe him, you read him bedtime stories and fix his toys when they break, you give him rules to keep him safe and you let him fall asleep on the couch the nights he argues that he's not tired, you teach him to be nice to people and you let him have sleepovers at Teddy's and Katies, you let him eat all your favourite sweets because it makes him happy, you wear cute matching outfits with him and let him order from the Muggle pizza places even though the things he orders are pretty disgusting. He knows how much you love him, Draco. He's a child, but he's not stupid. Children know when they're loved and wanted, and they know when they're not."

Draco sighed. "How are you so good at everything? I'm a failure as a father, as a lover, and as a friend."

He slid his hand onto the blond's. "You're not a failure at anything, but certainly not as a father. Scorpius worships you, and anyone can see that."

"I worshipped my father too," he muttered, curling his fingers into Harry's, "and look where that got me."

"You were scared of your father, the last few years anyway," he corrected. "Not the same thing."

Grey eyes widened. "You knew that?"

Harry nodded. "I knew a lot more about you than I should have," he admitted. "I watched you a lot. You were always up to something."

Draco grinned for the first time that night. "So were you."

"You're an amazing father," Harry repeated again, needing to make sure the blond understood that. "You're an amazing father, and you are not YOUR father."

Draco smiled, but it looked sad and forced. He toyed with his empty drink, and Harry sighed. 

"Why don't you come back to mine?" he offered. "We can have another drink, play chess or watch a movie or something. You shouldn't be alone right now."

The blond didn't even hesitate before nodding. "Sure."

****************************************

They apparated directly into Harry's flat and he took Draco's hand and pulled him into the sitting room. He motioned to the collection of DVDs on the shelf. 

"You can pick something," he said, gesturing at the wall. "Or we can play chess, or Snap, or I have a few Muggle games I could show you -"

"Harry," he said, cutting him off. "I don't want to do any of that."

The tension in the air was thick enough that it could be cut by a knife.

"Wh-what do you want?" he asked, cursing himself for stuttering.

"You."

"M-me?" he squeaked.

The blond glided forward, pinning Harry against the wall. "You," he repeated.

The sound that left Harry's mouth was far from being an acceptable answer, but Draco must have taken it as such because within seconds, his mouth descended onto Harry's, gently, but persistently. His lips were softer than the last time they'd kissed, and Harry parted his lips instantly, letting the other's tongue slide into his mouth. Draco slid his tongue against Harry's softly, slowly, with small, seductive licks, teasing him until Harry gasped against him and tangled his hands through his hair, pulling him closer.

Draco wrapped a leg around Harry's hip, dragging him tightly against him. His free hand tangled into the cotton of Harry's shirt, fingers gently brushing the soft skin underneath. Draco was kissing him like he meant it, his hands tangling into Harry's messy hair and his mouth making tiny moaning noises every time they left Harry's to gasp for air. He bit roughly at Harry's lip, and the groan that Harry let out sent shockwaves of electric attract racing down every inch of his pale skin. 

He trailed his lips down Harry's neck, nipping at the soft skin, sucking on his earlobe, while slowly sliding his hand down to the button of his jeans. Harry moaned against him, thrusting his hips forward and yanking Draco's head back up to kiss him roughly. He broke away from Draco long enough to pull off his shirt, and then Draco's, and then resumed his needy kissing. Draco wasn't about to object - the intense kisses were sending jolts of pleasure down his body, and he pressed himself against Harry, cock hardening more than he thought possible when Harry's cock pressed back, digging into his leg and grazing his cock with just enough pressure to keep him wanting more.

Draco tugged down his jeans, and Harry followed suit, until they were left with nothing but boxers between them. Their cocks rubbed together frantically, leaving wet spots on the thin fabrics. Draco tugged Harry back, until his legs met the couch and he toppled over, Harry on top of him. 

They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, cocks sliding together easily, their breaths short and panting. Harry kissed his way down Draco's chest eventually, and the blond let him, gasping when his mouth found that sensitive spot just above the hem of his boxers. Harry sucked the skin devilishly, and Draco moaned.

"Lower, Harry," he gasped, and Harry kissed his cock through his boxers, leaving even more wetness. Even through the fabric Draco could feel the heat of his tongue as it danced along the hardness, and he closed his eyes, biting his lip roughly.

Harry leaned over Draco and pulled his boxers down, and surprised the blond by taking his entire length in one swallow.

"Hnnnnhfggg," Draco moaned, losing himself in the feeling. 

Harry worked his mouth up and down the length slowly, teasingly. Draco sucked a finger into his own mouth and reached for Harry's arse, spreading the cheeks slowly. Harry stilled for a moment.

"Do you trust me?" Draco breathed, and after a mere second, Harry nodded.

Draco slowly slid the finger into Harry's hole, and the dark-haired man shifted slightly, a combination of a hiss and a moan leaving his throat. It was the hottest sound that Draco had ever heard. He pulled the finger back slowly, and then slid it in again, deeper, and Harry groaned and thrust his hips, completely forgetting about Draco's cock as his eyes closed in bliss, thrusting backwards, wanting more.

"Can I fuck you?" Draco whispered quietly, and Harry nodded, sliding off of him and laying onto the arm of the sofa, his arse up in the air in offering. 

Draco hesitated a minute bit slid forward, and licked Harry slowly. He dug his tongue slowly into the hole and wiggled it around, and the noise that Harry made couldn't have been a human sound. He thrust backwards, and one of his hands buried itself into Draco's hair, forcing the blond's tongue as deep as it could go. He alternated between tonguing the hole and sucking on the the softer skin of the cheeks. His hands were holding Harry so tightly that there were handprints on his hips, but he never complained, just continued to make delectable little noises and push backwards.

He kissed his way up Harry's shoulder and bit his shoulder gently.

"Ready?"

"Yes," he gasped. "Now, Draco, please."

He slid in slowly, remembering the way it'd burned for him. He waited a few seconds, letting Harry's body get used to him, and then slid forward again, and thrust slightly, making Harry's body jolt and making him cry out.

"Okay, love?" he whispered, and Harry turned his head slowly, eyes frantic.

"More, Draco," he demanded. "I need more."

So Draco gave it to him. His thrusting became frantic, and he bit Harry's shoulder and neck several times, as he drove into him. Both boys were groaning frantically and Harry dug his nails into the cushions.

Draco pulled out for a second and Harry moaned at the loss. "Turn over," he whispered, and Harry complied. "Now touch yourself."

Harry started tugging on his cock, rolling a thumb over the sensitive head with each stroke and tipping his head back as the pleasure continued to roll over him. Draco leaned forward and kissed him fiercely, and then sucked on the tender skin of the exposed throat while he slowly slid back into the hot, tight spot. Harry moaned and moved his hand faster, saying Draco's name with each breath. Draco moved faster and faster until he felt like he was going to black out, and then he did, everything going black as he exploded inside Harry. When he came back to his senses, his hand was wrapped around Harry's; both covered in warm white stickiness.

"It is possible to die from orgasm?" he murmured sleepily. "I think I almost have, twice, now."

Harry murmured something and the stickiness went away.

"Wandless magic?" Draco muttered. "Figures."

Another whispered word and they were both in Harry's bed, snuggled together, eyes closed before they could even manage another word.


	15. You're the one I want to want me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eternal apologies for the lack of update but my health isn't the greatest and I've been spending more time in clinics and hospitals than I have on my computer, sadly. But nevertheless, I will finish this story. I refuse to be one of those authors that leave unfinished work laying around on sites for poor readers to stumble onto, get hooked on, and get their heart broken when they realize it was last updated six years ago. That's happened to me too many times -.-  
> Happy reading!

Harry woke slowly, confused at what had woken him. Draco slept soundly beside him, but something had woken him up. He blinked and rolled over, and came face to face with Andromeda's owl. He remembered Draco saying something about Teddy being there for the night.

He grabbed the piece of parchment from the owl and nudged the blond.

"Draco, wake up," he murmured. 

A groan was the response that Harry received and he chuckled. He knew Draco wasn't a morning person - and it was only seven, which meant they'd only slept about four hours. He made to nudge him again, but thought better of it and leaned against him instead, rubbing softly against the half-hard cock and kissing the pale throat.

Draco made a sound again, but this time it more of a moan than a groan, and he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him closer.

"Morning to you too," he mumbled, and then kissed Harry hard, wrapping a leg around him.

Harry kissed him back for a few minutes, but then pulled away slightly, looking into the sleepy grey eyes. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I woke you up for a reason," he said. "Andromeda sent you a letter."

Draco instantly became fully awake, and struggled into a sitting position as he took the letter from Harry's hand. He read it quickly, and his eyes became as dark as storm clouds. He looked at Harry, who was still lounging on the bed, with something akin to regret.

"Astoria showed up at Andromeda's at six o'clock this morning, demanding to see Scorpius. She's accusing me of keeping her son from her and she tried to get Andromeda to let her leave with him. But Andromeda refused, so she's waiting for me, they're both waiting for me, at her house. I have to go."

Harry slid out of bed instantly. "I'll come with you -" he started, but Draco shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, and Harry frowned.

"Why not? Things aren't good between you and Andromeda, and it's only going to be worse with Astoria there. I can at least go over and help keep Andromeda calm."

"I appreciate the offer, but I really don't think it's a good idea," Draco insisted. "It would give them all the wrong idea if we showed up together. Andromeda knows we're friends, but she'll start thinking that it's something more if we show up on her doorstep at seven in the morning."

"And would that be so wrong?" Harry dared to ask.

Draco looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Do you really need to ask that?"

"We've slept together twice," Harry said calmly. "We've had dinners together, we've had outings together - that certainly seems like something more to me."

"Most of that was done for Scorpius - the sex was unexpected, a nice bonus, but we're not sixteen anymore and we both know that sex doesn't have to mean anything." Draco was dressing, refusing to look at the green eyed man.

"I haven't slept with the same person twice since Ginny," Harry said slowly. "It means something to me."

"Oh, of course," Draco said blithely, running a hand through his messy hair. "Just because the Saviour of the whole fucking Wizarding World decides he wants something, he's supposed to get it. I forgot that was how it worked. Well, you can just go find another charity case, because I'm done."

"Is that what you think this is about?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Pity?"

Draco whirled around to face him. "Oh, Malfoy, you can't hide forever. Oh, Malfoy, let me talk to Andromeda for you and make her forgive you. Oh, Malfoy, you need to be more normal and involved in the wizarding world. Oh Malfoy, you know I have a saving people thing. Well you know what, Potter, I don't need you to save me! I didn't need Dumbledore to save me ten years ago, and I don't need you to save me now. I can take care of myself!"

"You were the one who sought me out last night, you stupid git," Harry said scathingly, blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay. 

"Maybe I just wanted a good fuck," Draco said harshly. "Maybe I just wanted to know how it felt to have the Saviour bend over for me, the ex Death Eater. I wonder what everyone would say if they found out?"

"Gonna sell me out to the Prophet, Malfoy? Not like it would be the first time," Harry spat. 

Draco grabbed the last of his things and glared at Harry. Magic crackled between them as the tension in the room reached new heights. "I don't know why you ever thought there could be anything between us - we can't erase the past, and obviously neither of us can forget about it."

"I can!" Harry exploded, and the mirror behind Draco cracked into hundreds of pieces. "You're the one living in the past, too scared to try and have a future."

"Scorpius is the only future I need," he said tightly.

"You don't deserve him," Harry said hotly. "You don't deserve anyone, you miserable arse."

At that, Draco's temper deflated and he smiled sadly at Harry. "I know," he said softly. "I already know that."

He apparated out of the room before Harry could say anything else, and Harry sank to his knees in the broken glass, tears and blood soaking into the carpet as he let himself go numb.

*****************************************

The walk from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts had never seemed as long as it did now, Harry thought as he made his way along the wet, muddy road. Headmistress McGonagall (Harry could never call her Minevra, despite repeated requests) had owled him the week before about Career Day. It was basically a formality because Harry came every year, for the last five years, but she always owled and he always confirmed in person, using it as an excuse to visit his old school, and catch up with friends like Hagrid and Neville. 

The fresh air was doing wonders to clear his head, and he found himself wishing that he'd accepted McGonagall's offer years ago, when she wanted him to become a professor at Hogwarts. As much as he loved the school, and loved McGonagall, he knew that teaching wasn't the right thing for him. Neither was the Auror program, he'd realized after a weekend of practice training with Ron and a few other hopefuls. In the end, he'd gone into his NEWT year with no idea at all, and had ended up working his arse off in Potions, Charms, Herbology, and Defense, getting O's on them, and E's on his other options. Hermione had actually been the one to push him into Healer training - and it had actually been fantastic. He was able to put his 'saving people thing' to good use, and got to work with Defensive magic, too. If he hadn't become a Healer, he mused, he probably would have gone into curse breaking.

He felt nostalgic now, though, as he walked through the Hogwarts gates, and wondering if maybe a change of pace would be good for him. He could take a leave of absence and come stay at the castle, maybe help coach quidditch and help Neville in the greenhouses - 

No. He wasn't going to run away now. He'd been through worse before - the scandal that was Ginny leaving him had made the papers for weeks. Thankfully, the real reason was never divulged - the majority of the population actually believed it was because of another man.

The hallways were empty, since it was the middle of the day, and Harry made his way to the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress's office. He muttered the password, some kind of feline or another, and jogged up the stairs. McGonagall heard him as he came in, and stood, smiling at him.

"Harry," she said warmly. "It's so good to see you."

"Headmistress," he said as she engulfed him in a hug. "You look younger every time I see you."

She tittered and shook her head, pushing him into a chair. "I have to run to the Infirmary for a few minutes," she said, "but I'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable."

A tray of tea and assorted pastries popped into view as she exited the room. Harry stared at them for a few minutes and then reached forward for one.

"Potter."

Harry turned to the wall of portraits behind him.

Severus Snape was staring at him, black eyes narrowed. The professor was rarely in this portrait, preferring the one in the Potions classroom. It was slightly more amusing to watch students ruin potions now that he wasn't the one to have to deal with the consequences, even though he still didn't understand how some of them could be so thick. Why was it so difficult to understand the difference between counter clockwise and clockwise?

"Hello, sir," Harry said slowly. He'd had but a few conversations with his former professor. It was awkward, and slightly painful, and he was glad that the professor was rarely around. Harry had insisted on his portraits being hung, and they'd managed some closure, but it still wasn't easy for him to be around the man who'd complicated everything in life - and even in death.

"You don't look well, Potter," the man said bluntly. "Minevra's preoccupied, else she would have noticed, too. Are you ill?"

"No," Harry muttered. "Just personal stuff."

"I see." Snape's robes swirled, even in the painting. "Finally moving on from Miss Weasley?"

Harry glared at the portrait. "I thought you were beneath petty gossip, sir?"

Snape shrugged. "It passes the time."

"I'm trying to move on, but the person I want doesn't want anything to do with me," Harry mumbled, not sure why he was talking to Snape's portrait about his personal life. It's not like the man could help him. 

"Yes, well, my godson can be rather difficult at times," Snape said matter-of-factly, and Harry choked on his biscuit. Once he'd finally managed a breath, Snape arched an eyebrow at him. "Please try not to choke to death, Potter, I do not want to have to explain to Minevra that her Boy Wonder still doesn't know how to eat at twenty seven years of age."

"Don't call me that," Harry muttered. 

Snape smirked. "You're avoiding the subject, Potter."

"You already seem to know everything," he muttered. "What more can I tell you? It's pointless, anyway."

"I didn't take you for a quitter," Snape drawled. "Giving up already?"

Harry stared at him with wide eyes. "You sound like you actually want me and Draco to be together."

"I want him to be happy," the former professor said in a slightly softer voice. "He seemed happier the last time I saw him - after your dinner with Elliot and Penelope Symington, I believe."

"Yeah, well, he's not happy now," he said. "When he left this morning -" Harry stopped, cheeks turning slightly pink as he realized he as good as told the portrait that he was sleeping with his godson. 

"I am well aware that you are normal human beings, Potter," he drawled impatiently. "What happened this morning?"

Harry confessed everything to the portrait, feeling foolish, but at the same time, feeling like a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

Snape stared at him long enough that Harry started to feel very uncomfortable.

"He cares about you," he finally said. "Take my word for it, Potter, Draco cares about you. He's just scared."

"So am I," Harry said. "So am I."

Snape sighed. "Love," he said the word as if left a bad taste in his mouth, "is never easy."

"Thanks, sir, for listening, and not telling me I was a stupid fool," Harry said, feeling extremely emotional and overflowing with gratitude. "I know Draco's bringing Scorpius to the the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match next week - could you just remind him he's not alone? You don't have to talk about me or anything, but I want him to know he's not alone - Astoria's visit isn't going to be easy on him and he probably won't talk to anyone because he's a proud idiot and -"

"Point made, Potter," Snape said, rolling his eyes. "I will try my best - matchmaking is not my strong suit, I'm sure you are aware."

"Thank you," he said softly. "I mean it, thank you for everything."

Snape nodded. "Thanks is not needed, Potter. Yo-you deserve a good life, and so does Draco."

Snape slipped from his portrait as the Headmistress returned to the room, but Harry couldn't help but glance at it every few minutes, a small smile on his face.


	16. Always attract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances have Harry Potter falling head over heels for first the littlest Malfoy, and then for his difficult but equally charming father. But falling in love isn't easy - especially when there's the fragile heart of a child involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of update, there's a horrible heat wave here and when I'm not working I'm trying to find ways to stay cool. It's also fried my brain and I'm struggling with my writing but nonetheless here is something! More of a filler, the last few chapters are better I promise. Yes, last few, cause this fic is almost over. Feedback is always great, and any requests/suggestions for future stories too. I have a few ideas I'm playing around with already. Happy reading!

Draco was trying his best to avoid the crowds in Muggle London, head down and his coat wrapped tightly around his body. He finally got to his destination and opened the door, just to walk into another harried person.

He looked up, glaring, but lost the viciousness in his eyes when he saw who he'd ran into.

"Granger," he said politely. "My apologies."

"Draco," she said, corners of her mouth turning up. "Just because you're fighting with Harry doesn't mean I'm not still Hermione to you."

"Hermione," he said, rolling his eyes " My apol- wait, what do you know about Potter and I fighting?"

She shrugged, arranging the packages in her hand. "He's been very moody lately. He's not fighting with Ron, Ginny's gone to Bill and Fleur's, and the only other place he's been lately is Hogwarts. I mean, I suppose Snape's portrait can be just as mean and annoying as the real life version, but I'm pretty sure they put that behind them. That really leaves only you, Draco."

"It's his fault," Draco mumbled quickly. "He doesn't know enough to leave me alone."

"Is that what you really want?"

Startled, Draco looked up into her warm brown eyes. She moved closer to him as a group of older men walked by, complaining about the 'young people' these days blocking the entrances. He pulled her into the shop and down one of the empty aisles, and then stared at her again.

"You know, don't you?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry if you didn't want us to know, but Harry tells us everything. Especially when he's confused about his feelings for someone."

A wave of heat washed over Draco's body. "He doesn't have feelings for me," he mumbled. "It's just sex."

"If it was just sex, he wouldn't have defended you in front of the entire Weasley family the other day. He cares about you, Draco, and you're just too stubborn to admit that you care about him, too."

Draco just stared at her, eyes wide open and easy to read.

Hermione's voice softened. "It's okay to be scared, Draco. Take your time. But don't push him away. You'll regret it if you do."

He nodded slowly. "I should go see him."

"He's not working today," she said helpfully. 

He nodded, and walked out of the shop without even making any purchases. 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Reaching Harry's door, he almost changed his mind, and was actually about to walk away, when the door opened and Harry walked through, looking morose and actually somewhat ill. But he was still beautiful, too, his green eyes forever sparkling and his hair soft and messy.

Draco's mouth went dry as Harry looked up and saw him.

"Draco," he said as pleasantly as he could. "What can I do for you?"

The blond moved forward slowly at first, and then with a smooth motion, pinned Harry to the door frame and kissed him passionately.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled between kisses. "I want you - I want you in every possible way. I'm scared, but if being scared means feeling this good, then I choose to be scared for the rest of my life."

Harry pulled him against him, his hard cock swelling through his robes as Draco rubbed his body against his. He ran a hand through the blond's hair, and moaned in surprise as Draco's hand slid a hand under his robes and gripped his cock. 

"Suck my cock," he gasped as Draco's thumb slid over the head. "Please, Draco, now."

Draco dropped to his knees and took Harry's cock into his mouth quickly, sucking hard and deep. He wanted Harry to come hard and come fast and forget about everything except for Draco. With the noises of pleasure that were escaping his lover's mouth, he assumed he was doing a good job. He took Harry's cock as deep as he could, and then Harry started thrusting his hips, fucking Draco's mouth and Draco was making delicious sounds too, his hand snaking into his trousers to touch himself as he swallowed Harry's throbbing member again and again. It didn't take long before he was close to the edge, and then was coming all over himself as Harry emptied himself into Draco's mouth. He slid up to kiss him, and Harry tasted his own release as Draco kissed him again and again, sticky fingers sliding through his hair, apologizing in ways that words couldn't.

Harry managed to grab the doorknob to his flat and open the door, stumbling backwards against the wall with Draco against him. He closed the door, and the blond finally let him go, going red as he realized what he'd just done.

"I hope your neighbours aren't home during the day," he mumbled, and Harry laughed, falling to the floor and pulling him onto his lap.

"That," he said, " was the hottest thing I've ever done. I didn't realize I had such an exhibitionist streak in me until now."

"Does that mean you forgive me?" he said lightly, but his heart clenched and he had to fight the urge to pull away from the green-eyed gaze.

"I forgave you the second you walked out the other day," he said seriously. "I know you're scared - because I am, too. I'm fucking terrified that we'll mess this up and that someone will get hurt. I'm scared that people won't accept us together. I'm scared that you'll decide you want someone with a normal job who can give you more children. I'm scared that Scorpius is gonna hate me if I try to be a father to him instead of just Harry. But mostly I'm scared that if we don't do this, we're going to miss out on something amazing, and that fear beats all the other fears and gives me the courage to try."

Draco laid his head on Harry's chest. "How are you so good at everything? You always know what to say, what to do, what to feel."

The sound of his laughter made his chest vibrate around Draco's head. "Luck, Draco. I've always just gotten lucky."

Draco grinned lazily. "Figures. Everyone counted on you to save the world, and you counted on luck to save your arse."

Harry smacked him lightly. "It worked, didn't it?"

Draco stretched out like a cat and nuzzled into Harry's chest. "How about you use your skills to move us to the bedroom? I'd like a nap, and then we can go back to mine for dinner with Scorpius and you can stay over." He hesitated a beat. "If you want."

Harry easily apparated them into his bed and then snuggled into Draco's side. "I'd love that. And maybe we can have some more kinky public sex? There's a park not far from yours that looks like it could be fun."

"Honestly, Potter," Draco said, trying to sound disgusted. "You're worse than a teenager. We're not seventeen anymore."

"No," Harry said sofly, "we're not, and I'm glad."

Draco hugged him tighter. "Me too."

"So.... is that a no for kinky park sex?"


End file.
